Rising some 763 feet above the water, this island is an excellent example of the smallest type of volcanic cone. The summit of this perfect little cone is a crater about 90 feet deep and 300 feet in diameter. The cone and its massive flow of black lava in huge blocks form an island about three-fourths of a mile long by one-half mile wide. The oldest trees on the island date from about 800 years ago, indicating the last volcanic activity of Mount Mazama occurred about 1,000 years in the past.

In July 1869, newspaper editor Jim Sutton and several others decided to visit the lake and explore it by boat. By August, a canvas boat had been constructed and lowered to the lake. Five people reached Wizard Island and spent several hours exploring the cinder cone. Sutton wrote an article describing the trip for his Jacksonville newspaper. He called it “Crater Lake”. The name stuck, and since the article was published, the caldera has been referred to as “Crater Lake.”

Credits and Sources:

"Crater Lake History," National Park Service, http://www.nps.gov/crla/planyourvisit/upload/2010-history.pdf (accessed June 29, 2015).

"Crater Lake National Park: Administrative History," National Park Service, http://www.craterlakeinstitute.com/online-library/administrative-history/adminhistory.htm#A._DISCOVERY_OF_CRATER_LAKE_BY_JOHN_W._HILLMAN:_1853 (accessed June 29, 2015).