located on the Link River named Yulalona, which means “receding and returning
water.” In 1867, George Nurse arrived and set up a trading post nearby. He
named the small settlement “Linkville,” because of the Link River that connects
Klamath Lake to Lake Ewauna. In 1891 a fire destroyed many Linkville buildings.
Citizens rebuilt the town in 1893 and changed the name to Klamath Falls to
show its growth, prosperity, and the modernity of hydroelectricity. During that
time, they built a dam on the Link River, removing the falls but providing
electrical power to the community.
So…where were the falls? If you walk the Link River Trail, you can see a set of
whitewater rapids along with one or two small waterfalls along a ledge on the
east side of the river channel.
Did you know that the largest annual event held in the Klamath Basin almost never got off the ground? Sixty-seven years ago, the first Tulelake-Butte Valley fair board dreamt of an event where “our friends from over the line in Oregon, could meet and visit and compete and enjoy each other.” But plans to build the fairgrounds on Don Potter’s 35-acre alfalfa field were dashed when the board learned that the Bureau of Reclamation owned the property. Congressman Engel stepped in to help secure title to the land with an act of Congress, and people around here have been enjoying blue ribbons, ferris wheels, and fried dough ever since.
First Lady Mamie Eisenhower in her 1953 inaugural ball gown.
Oscar Kittredge, was an owner of the famous MC Ranch, one of the largest ranches in the West, covering parts of Klamath and Lake Counties, Oregon. Following the November 1952 election of President Eisenhower, Oscar and his wife Josephine received an invitation to the inaugural ball. Josephine called upon Else Lion of LaPointe’s dress shop in Klamath Falls to find her an appropriate dress. Else returned from New York with three beautiful gowns and one was deemed perfect. On January 20, 1953, the White House guard announced to the President and First Lady, “Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Kittredge of Klamath Falls, Oregon.” Mamie Eisenhower took Josephine’s hand and graciously said, “I admire your good taste.” They were wearing the same dress. …Or so the story goes.
Written by Heidi Neel Biggs