Forest Lookouts

Monday, May 24, 2010

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Its gotta be there someplace!

The Region 6 newsletter is full of interesting tidbits, here is one from the November 1934 edition of the Six Twenty-Six:

"After searching for a fire and being unable to locate it, a call was made to the lookout on Domke Mountain. The lookout was to tell the searchers to use a mirror or smoke to show their location. After a couple moves the lookout says; "You're at the right place now and the fire should be there." A few minutes later from the "P" set by code, the following message was heard: "We are in camp."

Thursday, November 13, 2008

A new way of looking at a burning problem

A new beginning. Last evening while reading a series of old papers from Centrailia, Washington "The Daily Chronicle" I found this little piece that may have had an impact on the use of steel towers for fire detection.

"The steel towers that support electric power transmission lines are being increasingly used by forest rangers as fire lookout stations in national forests. With the harnessing of the mountain streams a network of these lines is gradually being woven over the forests and in the absence of other convenient lookouts, the rangers find the steel towers helpful in their fire patrol work." August 9, 1913

In another story from "The Centrailia News-Examiner" dated August 4, 1909:

"To obtain the greatest results in minimum of expense, the federal forestry service has decided to establish on the most advantageous points of the National forests in the west, a series of lookout stations from which news of the beginning of forest fires can be telephoned to all forest officers. As all of these stations will command a view of the country for many miles, the work of detecting and extinguishing fires in their incipiency will be great facilitated, so that hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of timber can be saved annually by this innovation. Fire loses in the national forests are kept at a point where they are trivial, when compared with the damage which would be caused were the lands contained in unprotected areas."

Sunday, July 6, 2008

HIGH AND DRY

After a recent visit to the lookout tower on Dry Mountain and the need to post something here, I dug through my files and found the following news articles:

.
"The Snow Mountain road crew is completing a motor way from the upper Silver Creek section to the summit of Dry Mountain on which point Mr. J.T. Choate will serve as lookout - fireman for the coming summer. A new telephone line was constructed there last year, so with these improvements more efficient fire protection can be given to that extremely hazardous portion of the forest." ~ June 13, 1929 - Central Oregonian

"Ranger E.W. Donnelly, assisted by fireman Jack Choate and Road Foreman W.J. Baur, is constructing a platform near the top of a Yellow pine tree on the summit of Dry Mountain. On this platform will be mounted a telephone, fire finder, etc., for use of the lookout who will occupy that station. The platform will be more than 100 feet from the ground and will afford a much better view than can be obtained from any point on the ground, since the top of the mountain is pretty well covered with timber." ~ July 18, 1929 - Central Oregonian

"Jack Choate, who occupies the "crows nest" 110 feet from the ground in a yellow pine tree on the summit of Dry Mountain, says he feels perfectly at home since four 3/8" guy cables have been placed on the tree and the ladder improved to such an extent that he can run up and down the tree in high gear. Road Foreman Baur assisted in fixing up this lookout tree which is the highest platform occupied by a lookout on the Ochoco." ~ September 1929 - The Ochoconian

In late 1930 a fireman's cabin was constructed near the location of a future tower. The Spring of 1931 a 75-foot Aermotor tower was received by the Forest Service in Prineville. The 11,000 pounds of materials for the tower was trucked to Riley and then to Dry Mountain by team to be erected prior to the fire season. This was the first steel tower to be constructed on the Ochoco National Forest.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Anyone know where this lookout is located?

Ranger Peak Lookout was an active primary lookout from 1916 to at least 1921. It was located on the Port Orford Ranger District of the Siskiyou National Forest. There were no legal descriptions or any hints to physical locations. The following article is from the September 1918 issue of "The Siskiyou Bulletin"

"The lookout station at Ranger Peak was practically of no use during the first half of the month on account of smoke, therefore making intensive patrol necessary in the most dangerous localities. Miss Hilda Muender had to give up her job on September 10 and take up her duties as "School-Marm" at Agness while her brother Carl held down the lookout the balance of the month when he had to return to Oregon City to again enter high school. The services of the Muenders were entirely satisfactory and it hoped that Miss Hilda will be in a position to accept the job again next year, but then Dan Cupid may get busy and cheat me out of a perfectly capable lady lookout." Submitted by the District Ranger

Sad to say that the poor Ranger was disappointed because Miss Hilda did not return the following season.

I have checked all my maps and have been unable to locate this site, of course, it may have been named something else officially and has lived on in good service. Iron Mountain? seems possible. The Ranger Peak paper trail ended with the 1921 staffing list and Iron Mountain was first mentioned as lookout materials being cut in 1924. If anyone knows, I would appreciate the help.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Give them a roof and they will stay

Just returned from a tiring excursion to the National Archives in Seattle, two weeks of (yawn) paper turning. Some real treasures were found, including a fairly complete set of "The Siskiyou Bulletin". This little monthly newsletter was published within and for the staff of the Siskiyou National Forest from about 1909 through 1933.

The following was found in the December 1914 issue:

"For the information of Mr. Jones or others having lookout stations to construct, description of the Bolivar lookout is here given: It was constructed by the only material available, white fir for posts, plates, sills and rafters and sugar pine for shakes. The frame material was carried up the steep slopes of Bolivar from 100 to 200 yards and shakes were carried about 1/4 mile. This was accomplished by the guard taking up a load each time he came to the lookout. The building is 12'x12'. Sides are boarded up 3 feet leaving space of 3 1/2 feet for observation. This space to be enclosed in stormy weather by a canvas curtain which may be rolled up during good weather. Building has a square roof. The surface of Bolivar is solid rock and the building is anchored by running number 9 telephone wire from each corner rafter in line therewith to an anchor bolt in the rock. Telephone instrument is attached to a heavy board extending downward from the center of rafters, and the fire finder mounted directly underneath it.

The cost was as follows: Forest officers labor $39.80; Administration .42; Temporary help 25.00; Nails .50 = Total $64.80

Since to secure the greatest efficiency from the lookouts the buildings should be of sufficient size to permit of this. Economy of space may be worked to a nicety. Alcohol stoves using solidified alcohol may be used for cooking purposes. Bed and table may be hinged to the wall."

Photo was taken during the 1914 fire season. Courtesy of the Siskiyou National Forest Archives.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

"Don't forget the wrench"

This afternoon I found this little story on the front page of the "Grants Pass Daily Courier" dated July 23, 1921:
.

"San Francisco - The experiences of Raymond G. Fisher, a forest service pilot, who secured aid by wireless after being forced to land on Wizard Island in Crater Lake, are attracting attention as the result of the publication of the story by air service authorities.

Fisher was forced to land, and found that he needed spark plugs. He sent a wireless, and another aviator dropped the plugs from a parachute."

I found another story that occurred a short time later, where another fire patrol plane was forced to land on a divide to change spark plugs. 1921 was a tough year for the air patrol, many stops and starts because of the difficulty in securing a steady supply gasoline, not because of a shortage but budgeting. The funds came from several different sources, The Forest Service and Army Air Corps being the main contributors. It may have been the inconsistency of gas quality that caused the spark plug failures.

The original story appears that some kind of major accomplishment had occurred, considering the year involved, I'm not sure if it was the feat of landing on the island or the use of the wireless radio in communicating the need for assistance. Or maybe it was the skill required to drop the spark plugs by parachute and have them land on the island. Actually, I'm impressed by all three !!!