Some Interesting History

It is named after Kendall Vanbook Bumpass,
a cowboy who worked in the Lassen area in the 1860s.
One day Bumpass stumbled upon the area and his leg was badly scalded
when it broke though a thin crust above a mud pot.
He told his friends and townspeople about it, describing it as "hell."
A newspaper editor was interested in the story and convinced Bumpass to take him to this place.
Unfortunately, Bumpass' leg broke through the crust again - this time it had to be amputated.