Upper Klamath Lake

OREGON HISTORY UPPER KLAMATH LAKE Ews (Upper Klamath Lake) is Oregon’s largest body of water. ?ewksiknii c’oy modokni (Klamath and Modoc) peoples have lived here for thousands of years. During the creation of giwas (Crater Lake) their ancestors sought refuge in Ews while the world around them burned. From that time on, populations of native peoples grew and built villages around Ews. They lived off the bounty of the water. In 1825, Hudson Bay Company trappers were the first non-native visitors. Settlers begin arriving around 1843. Ews provides water to all the tribes, settlers, and farmers in the region, and has been a resource for fishing, hunting, and gathering. Over the years, demands on the lake have grown dramatically, resulting in the decline of both water quality and quantity. Fish and other indigenous foods that sustained the tribes from time immemorial are in danger of extinction.