And, in the beginning.....

Walt Dutton, an early Ranger on the Fremont National Forest, wrote a short "Fremont History" in 1962. The following is from his July 1911 entry:
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"After completion of the Ingram Station assignment we returned to our summer stations -- Cronemiller to Thomas Creek and I to the Gaylord place on the Chewaucan. The old ranch house on the Gaylord place was occupied by a family of wood rats and our shelter for the summer was a 7x9 tent pitched nearby. My job description, given verbally by Gilbert Brown before we left Lakeview, instructed me to ride daily to the top of Buck Mountain, about a mile and a half to the east, and scan the surrounding country for fires. Also, in my judgement, when fire danger was low I was to ride around the country and post James Wilson cloth fire signs. There was no established fire lookouts in that area and no telephone communication nearer than Thomas Creek Ranger Station."