1.3 million visitors a year can’t be wrong. Lassen Volcanic National Park, which is located in the US state of California, is extremely popular. There are of course reasons for this. The national park, founded on August 9, 1916, shows its full splendor and beauty over an area of 430 km².
The Lassen Peak is a 3,187 meter high mountain. It has the shape of a cone and consists of a drop of lava. This gave the park its name. He was last active in 1915. Activity is still attributed to him today. The gas emissions, the hot springs, and the pools of water and mud indicate this. Incidentally, this can be found in Bumpass Hell. In the entire park area there are 50 more or less small lakes, and also solidified lava flows. These look great.
History of Lassen Volcanic National Park
It has been found that four peoples lived in the Lassen Peak area more than a thousand years ago. They called themselves Yahi, Yana, Atsugewi and Maidu. We know this so well because these tribes were driven from the Sacramento Valley and then settled here.
Scientists today call these people the Lassen people. As was customary at that time, they were hunters and gatherers.
By and large, they remained so until the arrival of the Europeans. Whites brought Malaria entered the country and so this insidious disease wiped out entire peoples around 1833. Valleys were suddenly deserted. The European settlers then settled here.
In 1849 the gold rush also hit the area of Lassen Volcanic National Park. The locals were killed by the fanatical prospectors, some of them downright executed. Many animals also fell victim to their hunt.
Diseases and resettlement of the indigenous people followed. Eventually it was believed that all the tribes had been driven out of the area. However, in 1911 the police picked up a man. This was the last pure-blooded original Californian. His tribe had survived hidden in the mountains. The man called himself Ishi and descended from the Yahis. He was 50 years old at the time and told his story: In 1867 there was another massacre. A white man executed the Yahis. However, Ishi and a few others from his tribe managed to escape. Ishi was a little boy then. The group hid in the mountains and went undetected there. Little by little, everyone in his group died. Ishi was the last survivor and went on a wandering journey. He was found near Oroville. The anthropology professor Alfred L. Kroeber accepted Ishi. He lived in the anthropological museum and died of tuberculosis in 1916.
Animals in the Lassen Volcanic National Park
Among the mammals, the species of the black tailed deer and the mule deer show particularly large populations. Also, marmots and pikas are widespread here. In total, around 50 different species of mammals live in the park.
140 different bird species were counted. Waterfowl and ducks often breed on the lakes. The golden eagles are beautiful and majestic. These nest in the ledges of Lassen Peak from time to time.
Plants in Lassen Volcanic National Park
While the Lassen Peak summit is completely bare, it looks very different at lower altitudes. There is a thick coniferous forest here. Further down you can find an even more overgrown part. In addition to dense forests, there are also plenty of shrubs and bushes. Many different types of flowers grow in the meadows.
