Lake Crescent, at the northern extremity of the park, is one of the most beautiful mountain lakes in the United States. Glacial activity carved the basin of Lake Crescent to a depth of more than 600 feet in some places.

Located only five miles south of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, this large inland body of water is surrounded by heavily timbered ridges rising 2,000 to 4,000 feet above the lake. It was not until the late 1880s and early 1890s that land claims were established along the Lake Crescent shoreline. Many original settlers found it difficult to exist on what the poor soil could produce.  Those who did stay were quickly ensconced in the business of providing services for visitors who came to fish or simply retreat from busy city life.

It was the scenic beauty and abundance of soon-to-become-famous Beardslee trout that early settlers soon recognized as Lake Crescent's greatest resources. A surge of settlers followed and by 1891 and 1892 nearly twenty-five settlement claims were made on land in the Lake Crescent township. Even before the turn of the century, the first homestead claimant was providing accommodations for guests. Lake Crescent's recreational era began after less than a decade of homestead settlement. By 1909, the shores of Lake Crescent were dotted with inns and private cottages. Lake Crescent emerged as a resort area, eclipsing its period of settlement in less than two decades. Lake Crescent Lodge, a National Register property on Lake Crescent, dates from 1915.  It was where President Franklin D. Roosevelt stayed during his visit to the park in October 1937. Although it was recently renovated and restored, it retains its original style, appearance and atmosphere.

Credits and Sources:

National Park Service. "Administrative History 1992." NPS.gov. http://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/olym/olym_adhi.pdf (accessed June 20, 2015).

National Park Service. "Historic Resource Study 1983." NPS.gov. http://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/olym/hrs/contents.htm (accessed June 20, 2015).