What is the Saranoma Crater

The Saranoma Crater is a project I have been working on for just around four years now. It started as (and still is) a TTRPG game using the system "Monster of the Week" by Evil Hat Productions. Since then it's expanded beyond just that role playing game into an entire world building project, with an in progress book, a series of maps, as well as an in-depth history of the crater itself and the region surrounding it.

Brief History of the Saranoma Crater

The Saranoma Crater, despite the name, is not the result of a celestial impact. The exact reason for the crater's formation is unknown, but the leading and most likely theory is that the crater is a caldera, formed by an ancient super volcano similar to crater lake. The Crater has many mountains but it's three most prominent are Mount Clara (10,008 Ft), Mount Annie (9809 Ft) and Mount Francine (9875 Ft). The Mountains are called the "Crater Sisters", named after the three daughters of the first european settler in the crater. All of these mountains are extinct volcanos and have an extensive system of lava tunnels that connect with the larger saranoma tunnels. These Saranoma tunnels stretch all over the Saranoma Region and beyond. While most of the tunnels have been mapped with underground LiDAR and other techniques, but very little has been explored by humans. The Saranoma Region, also known as the Saranoma Highlands, is a mountainous region in eastern Oregon, and a subsection of the Blue Mountains. The area has historically been a volcanically active, but is now extinct and has been for the last 30 million years.

The first european's to discover the crater were the Neilman Family, in 1834. The entire escapade is shrouded in mystery, with the facts of the matter being skewed over the years. What is known for sure is that the entire family died, either by the elements or potentially kill by the father Joseph Neilman although this has never been confirmed.

After the Neilman's discovery, the next great explorers to visit the crater were the Johansson Sisters, Aud and Cathrine, in 1840. The sister's honestly deserve a webpage or book of their own because there is a lot of lore surrounding them and the Johansson Family. The essentials are their discovery and then settlement of the crater. They founded the first town in the crater, St. Cathrine's which became an important stop on the Oregon trail, the only town before entering the Oregon Deserts.

In the 1920's there was a push by local residents to protect the crater and the surrounding area. In 1921 Congress established the Saranoma Crater National Park, federally protecting over one thousand acres of land. The town of St Cathrine was granted a "Special Urban Expansion" zone, in order to insure that the town could continue to grow while not disturbing the natural areas of the park. The Park is made up of three main Zones:

• The Crater Hearth: This section is the interior of the crater, containing the town of St. Cathrine, the Pools of Treason and Emmitt's Peak, a small mountain and a wonderful viewpoint of the entire Hearth.
• The Crater Basin: This section is mainl composed of Lake Luther. It's 3rd largest lake in Oregon, created from runoff from the snowmelt from the crater rim and Mount Annie
• The Seats of Mars This section contains the largest hills in the Saranoma Region, many of them standing higher than the crater sisters. 8