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The following newspaper cuttings have been unearthed by Robin Knox. (Also extant, but not
yet fully transcribed, are the first few pages of a memoir
that John Wesley Hillman started to dictate a couple of weeks before he died.)
In an article in the Portland Oregonian on June 7, 1903, Hillman described the experiences
of his party fifty years before:
On the evening of the first day, while riding up a long, sloping mountain, we suddenly
came in sight of water, and were very much surprised, as we did not expect to see any
lakes, and did not know but what we had come in sight of and close to Klamath Lake, and
not until my mule stopped within a few feet of the rim of Crater Lake did I look down, and
if I had been riding a blind mule I firmly believe I would have ridden over the edge to
death and destruction. We came to the lake a very little to the right of a small sloping
butte or mountain, situated in the lake, with a top somewhat flattened. Every man of the
party gazed with wonder at the sight before him, and each in his own peculiar way gave
expression to the thoughts within him; but we had no time to lose, and after rolling some
boulders down the side of the lake, we rode to the left, as near the rim as possible, past
the butte, looking to see an outlet for the lake, but we could find none.
I was very anxious to find a way to the water, which was immediately vetoed by the whole
party, and as the leader of the Californians had become discouraged, we decided to return
to camp; but not before we discussed what name we should give the lake. There were many
names suggested, but Mysterious Lake and Deep Blue Lake were most favorably received, and
on a vote, Deep Blue Lake was chosen for a name.
The following extract probably from a Baton Rouge newspaper comes from an interview with
Mrs Creaghan (presumably Rosalie Gertrude Knox 1902 - 1987) and offers some more domestic
insights:
"...Hillman's granddaughter, Mrs Creaghan ... was born in the original Hillman house.
She said her granddad was called 'Big Papa' in the family circle and was a very upright
and independent personality. One of his pet peeves, she said, was the Ku Klux Klan. We
asked her what were the food specialities of this New York-born ancestor and she replied
'Mackeral and potatoes'. Also, she added with a smile, he liked to sprinkle sugar on his
sliced tomatoes. A very interesting personality, everyone who knew him agreed, and a brave
pioneer who contributed to the winning of the West."
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