Bumpass’s Hell - California - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

History sign along Bumpass Hell Trail at high point overlooking Bumpass Hell.

Text of sign - Bumpass’s Hell
Our guide [Mr. K.V. Bumpass] after cautioning us to be careful where we stepped, that the surface was treacherous, suddenly concluded with Virgil that the “descent to Hell was easy” for stepping upon a slight inequality in the ground he broke through the crust and plunged his leg into the boiling mud beneath, which clinging to his limb burned him severely. If our guide had been a profane man I think he would have cursed a little; as it was, I think his silence was owing to his inability to do the subject justice. . . . -- Editor, Red Bluff Independent, 1865.
In 1864 mountaineer and explorer Kendall Vanhook Bumpass first saw this steaming, hissing, thumping hydrothermal area, which now bears his name. He and his partner, Major Pierson B Reading filed claim to these boiling springs with the intention of mining the minerals and developing it as a tourist attraction. Perhaps those dreams were dashed when Bumpass stepped into a boiling mud pool at nearly 240°F (115°C ). Regardless, Bumpass lost his leg by this unfortunate accident and his dreams of fortune here never materialized.

Group that erected the marker: National Park Service Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: Lassen Volcanic National Park - Bumpass Hell URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
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Date Logged Log   09/18/2013 Volcanoguy visited it