Skell Head Viewpoint - Oregon - Scenic Roadside Look-Outs on Waymarking.com

Viewpoint on East Rim Drive. There is an interpretive sign titled “The Lake in Legend” at the viewpoint.



Sign Text: Explorer John Wesley Hillman first saw Crater Lake in 1853, but Indians had known of it long before recorded history. According to Hillman, the lake was sacred to the Indians, who refused to acknowledge its existence to outsiders. Gazing upon the waters was thought to be fatal.
Klamath Indian legends touch on the supernatural origins of Crater Lake, and the experiences of early visitors. One story tells of an Indian who journeyed into the fearful depths of the crater when it was still dry. On the crater floor he saw fissures, mounds, huge gnarled rocks, and a strange yellow substance that resembled gold.
Best known, perhaps, are the legends describing the war between Llao, chief spirit of Crater Lake, and Skell, a mighty spirit of the Klamath Marsh country to the south, These legendary characters are immortalized at Llao Rock, the massive gray lava flow across the lake, and at Skell Head, the headland you are standing on.

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