Judson D. Howard was a man who's accomplishments beginning in 1916 helped to establish the Lava Beds that lie within Modoc and Siskiyou Counties as a National Monument in 1925 through repeated communication to the President and Congress.
The following excerpt is taken from a placard within the Lava Beds National Monument visitor center:
Inspired by his first trip to the lava beds in 1916, local mill worker Judson D. Howard returned repeatedly over the next 20 years to map lave tubes, guide visitors and build trails and roads. His letter-writing campaign to the President and Congress helped bring National Monument designation to the area in 1925.
There is plaque next to Mushpot Cave near the visitor center dedicated to J.D. Howard and says the following:
J.D. HOWARD
Father of Lava Beds
National Monument
He owned no car nor house, yet spent much of his life studying the Lava Beds area, walking along the shore of Tule Lake from the town of Merrill. He discovered many geologic features, naming, describing, and photographing them. He was particularly interested in exploring and mapping the caves. Many of the names he gave them can still be seen, painted in his own unique style, on the walls. He brought Modoc warrior Peter Schonchin here and recorded his memories of the events of the Modoc War. He led tours through the caves and around the battlefields. His continuous pressure on Forest Service officials contributed significantly to the establishment of the monument on November, 21, 1925.
Judd was born at Fort Atkinson, Iowa,
on January 9, 1875,
and died in Klamath Falls, Oregon,
on December 15, 1961.