Ever heard of Bumpass Hell? It’s the memorable name of a hydrothermal area in California’s Lassen Volcanic National Park. But how did that name come to be? Well, it’s because a man named Bumpass had a hellish experience there!
It’s named after Kendall V. Bumpass, the first person of European descent to explore the area. Unfortunately, he got burned twice after breaking through the thin crust ground. The first time, he burned his foot. Then, he plunged into a boiling spring, suffering burns so bad that his leg had to be amputated.
Bumpass Hell is famous for its fumaroles, boiling springs, and mud pots, created by water heated by magma about 3 miles below the surface, creating steam as hot as 464°F.
