The tribes of the Klamath basin that occupied the area where Crater Lake is located for over 13,000 years. Yes that means the Klamath Indians have seen the before and after pictures. The place, what we call Crater Lake was always a special place. The tribes knew of a place, Giiwas, which we know as Crater Lake. In 1864 the Klamath Tribes (Klamath, Modoc and Yahooskin band of Snake Indians) signed the Treaty of 1864 with the United States Government which included Giiwas (Crater Lake) within the Treaty boundaries. The tribes rights were ignored and on May 22, 1902, Giiwas (Crater Lake) became Crater Lake National Park. The Lake was first discovered by non natives on June 12, 1853, John Wesley Hillman the first non Native American to see what the Indians knew as Giiwas. Hillman named the lake "Deep Blue Lake" in Oregon. The lake was renamed at least three times, as Blue Lake, Lake Majesty, and finally Crater Lake.
