Mt Scott

This photo is of the first lookout on Mt Scott, Crater Lake National Park, built in 1925 and replaced in 1952. The first four years the lookout didn't have a floor on the lower level, just the rock it was built on. The lookout did not stand up well under he extreme winter weather at almost 9,000 feet elevation. Officials began lobbying for a replacement in 1938 and finally by 1950 the building was no longer usable. The fire finder was old with a broken fire finder ring, broken tape, no vertical scale and the map was badly warped. The rail was loose and couldn't be tightened. The stand was made from 2"x2" legs with 1"x2" cross braces, very shaky at best. During one lightning storm the lookout faithfully plotted several fires, only to find his azimuth readings off by as much as 20 degrees. A 1950 report stated surprise that the building hadn't collapsed during the previous winter. The last year or two of its life it wasn't used as the safety risks were to great.

The replacement lookout of the basic L-4 style with modifications has stood up to the elements and is still staffed each season. The trail from the parking area to the lookout is very well maintained and about two and a quarter miles in length. The view from the lookout is spectacular! Keep in mind that the lookout is located in the National Park and no dogs are allowed on the trails unless they are official service dogs.

Photo courtesy of the Crater Lake National Park historical files.

Photo collection

One of the first things I can do is link to my Flickr photo page. These photos are from lookout visits over the last 27 years. Most everything in the last three years are my photography and the photos from the 1980's were done by my wife, La Vaughn.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/forest_lookouts_of_oregon/

On the older photos that I collected over the years I may add along the way on the blog.

Lookout Research- to share or not to share?

While sitting in front of the computer filing some of the 800 pages of documents collected at the National Archives in Seattle earlier this month, I had this idea of starting a blog to share some of the interesting stories and odds 'n ends that I have come across. May even throw in a photo and some history along the way. So lets see where this goes.