Frémont and his Army Topographical team were mapping the Oregon Country as they traveled from The Dalles on Columbia River to Sutter's Fort in Sacramento, California.

Occasionally very cold Arctic air will cross over from the Rocky Mountains: the coldest month since records began in 1957 has been January 1962 with a mean of 24.3 °F (−4.3 °C) and a record low of −27 °F (−32.8 °C) on January 22 that year; however, on average only 1.2 mornings per winter can be expected to fall to or below 0 °F (−17.8 °C) and only 6.9 afternoons do not top freezing, although 147.1 mornings will fall below freezing per year.

Facilities in Summer Lake include a post office, gas station, store, motel, restaurants, and several bed and breakfast establishments.

The refuge consists of a large wetland marsh fed by the Ana River and associated high desert uplands with an 8.3-mile (13.4 km) tour route open to the public most of the year.

[11] The refuge headquarters and several housing units are located adjacent to Oregon Route 31 at the south end of the town.

[11] The Department of Fish and Wildlife operation and the visitors who come to the refuge are an important part of the Summer Lake economy.