Mather Memorial

This plaque, honoring the founder and first director of the National Park Service, Stephen Tyng Mather, welcomes visitors to the entrance of an overlook that provides broad view of  the caldera in which Crater Lake is situated.

NPS Photo

Embedded in native stone at the entry to an oval overlook, is a bronze plaque dedicated to Stephen Tyng Mather, known both as a successful businessman and avid conservationist.

He was appointed special assistant to the Secretary of the Interior, Franklin K. Lane, in 1915 and focused on establishing an office to manage the National Parks. His vigorous efforts to build public and political support for the parks helped persuade Congress to create the National Park Service (NPS) in 1916. Appointed the first director of the NPS in May 1917, he continued to promote park access, development, and use, and contributed generously to the parks from his personal fortune.

Plaques dedicated to Mather have been placed in national parks throughout the country, all concluding with the inscription "There will never come an end to the good that he has done."