Published by
Crater Lake Natural History Association

Produced in cooperation with the
National Park Service

Copyright 1963 by
Crater Lake Natural History Association
Printed in U.S.A.

© CRAFT PRINTERS, INC
1205 Klamath Avenue
Klamath Falls, Oregon 97601

About the Author

Roger J. Contor attended the University of Idaho and Montana StateCollege, concentrating in the fields of zoology, botany, forestry, and biggame management. His association with the National Park Service beganas a seasonal employee in 1949 in Yellowstone where he served intermittentlyin various capacities into 1955. Later that year, he joined the permanentstaff of the National Park Service as a park ranger, serving in Yellowstone,Rocky Mountain, and Bryce Canyon National Parks.

In 1960, Mr. Contor became management assistant for Oregon CavesNational Monument, where he remained until early 1962. He then returnedto Rocky Mountain National Park, also as a management assistant.He is a member of The Wildlife Society and Phi Beta Kappa and hasauthored wildlife articles for National Parks Magazine, Field and Stream,Outdoor Life, Wyoming Wildlife and Denver Post.

CAVE TOUR

ENTRANCE

TREE ROOT

RIVER STYX BRIDGE

WHALE

DRY ROOM

WIGWAM

110 ft. EXIT

BANANA ROOM

NIAGARA

KINGS PALACE

GRAND COLUMN

CHAPEL

RIMSTONE

PARADISE LOST

GHOST ROOM

EXIT TUNNEL

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

HOW OREGON CAVES WERE FORMED 3

The Raw Material—Rock 3

Underground Erosion 7

Decoration 14

The Cave’s Age 24

Other Cave Features 25

LIFE IN THE CAVES 27

Plant Life 29

THE FUTURE 30

HUMAN HISTORY 30

CONSERVATION AND PRESERVATION 31

GLOSSARY OF CAVE TERMS 34

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