Competing Attractions

At this narrow point where Lost River flows westerly toward Tule Lake, several historical features come together. In the Klamath language, Olene means "eddy place." For hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, this site was an important fishery for the Klamath and Modoc tribes, where they harvested and preserved the Lost River Sucker fish (Deltistes luxatus). At Olene Gap, the right-of-way of the OC&E hugs the higher north bank, while below it and south across the river are part of the canal and flume system of the Klamath Reclamation Project. The water in the ditches comes from Gerber Reservoir, an artificial lake created in 1926 on the highlands east of Langell Valley. Between the highway that cuts through Olene Gap and the OC&E are several geothermal vents, and on cold days steam rises from these hot springs.

Oregon · United States