The old guy can still run

The two following stories came from the "Mail Tribune" out of Medford:

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August 31, 1918: "A fresh forest fire on Steve's Fork of Carberry Creek near Steamboat in the Applegate District, which had been burning for several days, and which now covers 1,000 acres, was fanned by a high wind which arose yesterday into a swift spreading and traveling conflagration. So fast did the fire travel that Dr. Barker, the retired physician of Jacksonville who is the lookout at the forest service lookout station on Steve's Peak, had barely time to escape with his life. He saw the flames coming up the mountain at some distance away and seizing a few personal effects ran with all his might for a mile or more to safety. The flames reached the lookout station a moment after his departure and destroyed it and all its contents. As yet this forest fire has not gotten into heavy timber."

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September 5, 1918: "The big forest fire that started in brush in the Carberry Creek-Stevens Peak section several days ago, has spread into huge proportions and reached heavy timber. It has spread in length as far as Swan Valley which is 8 to 10 miles west from Stevens Peak. The lookout at the peak, who was forced to flee when the fire started and spread so fast, and who returned to the station later, telephoned today that the peak was surrounded on all sides by fire and that he could not get away if he wanted. He has supplies and of course is now in no danger because of the fire in its rush having burned over everything in the vicinity of the peak."

Home Delivery

From the October 1935 issue of the "Six Twenty-Six":
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"The lonely forest lookout, occupying his station high in the mountain regions of the Cascades, looks forward to weeks of monotony and isolation as the time comes that he must take his post. Such, however, is not the case with Howard Church, observer at Red Butte in the Little River district, about 20 miles, in an airline, from Roseburg. Church has his Seattle and San Francisco papers almost daily, in some cases in advance of subscribers. He recieves fresh cigettes, candy and even fresh, dainty lunches, actually "showered" upon him.

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It all started along in June when Church took over his station. Red Butte is a high jagged peak that rises to an elevation of approximately 5300 feet. It is topped by a small plateau which is crossed by a low swale. The peak is directly in the path of passenger planes in summer and is used as a guide by the pilots.

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When clouds hang low, the pilots must fly several miles out of their course around the peak or may cross through the gap in the peak. Church found that the removal of several snags on the top of the mountain would remove the hazards to the fliers, and he proceeded to take out the dead trees. In appreciation, a pilot dropped him a Seattle paper. Church wrote his thanks to the airline.

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Now the pilots make it a practice to drop him the day's papers from Seattle and San Francisco. He gets the latest editions within a few hours after publication. Passengers, regularly using the line, have become interested, and include gifts in the packets. Cigarettes, candy, chewing gum, magazines, these and many other gifts have been tossed down to the forest lookout as the airliners have passed over his station. Recently one of the hostesses prepared a luncheon, complete to after-dinner mints and toothpicks, and the meal was lowered by means of an improvised parachute.

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Church has established correspondence with some of the pilots and has arranged to take one or more on hunting trips during the deer season. He plans to visit Seattle during the winter and will take a ride on the route to see his station from the air."

Anderson Butte Lookout

Anderson Butte Lookout was constructed in 1933, the following three short stories from the "Medford Mail Tribune" follow the progress:

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July 31, 1933: "Work commenced today on Anderson Butte lookout house, which will be situated atop a thirty-foot tower. The house is to be 14x14, according to the plans. The timber for the building will be cut at the location of the lookout. The Applegate CCC boys are to do the work."

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August 8, 1933: "Material for the construction of the tower at Anderson Butte is being packed in for a distance of three miles, according to forest service officials."

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September 12, 1933: "The Anderson Butte lookout was completed yesterday."

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The lookout was constructed for the Rogue River National Forest and in later years was managed by the Southwest Oregon District of the Oregon Department of Forestry. In 1938 a CCC crew from Camp Applegate constructed a garage for a cost of $50.00. The lookout was destroyed in 1965.

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The photo above was taken in 1959, and was courtesy of the Southwest District of ODF.

Open season on lookouts

"Lloyd Woodell, who was stationed on Mt. Emily as cooperative lookout, one day shortly after the opening of the hunting season, was stalking a pine squirrel near the tower with the idea of using it to replenish his larder. He was carrying his 22 rifle, his arm in front of him, as the woodsmen often do when expecting a quick shot. Suddenly he heard a loud report and his right arm dropped, numbed and almost paralyzed, to his side. For a split second he did not know what had happened. Then he realized that he had been shot. An instant later he saw a man come out from behind some bushes and trees about a hundred yards away with his rifle in his hands. When the man saw Lloyd he turned and ran, crashing down the hill at a great pace and not once looking back. It was too far to recognize the fellow or to identify him, besides Lloyd had other things to attend to. First he examined the wound which was across his right forearm and quite deep but not serious. He bandaged it tightly to stop the bleeding and then went to examine the tracks of the coward who had shot without knowing at what he aimed and after he had seen that it was a man that did not have the nerve or the manhood to face the issue. Due to the carpet of needles and grasses Lloyd was unable to find any tracks that were plain enough to be of any value. Then as he was feeling weak from loss of blood and from shock of the high-powered bullet he returned to the cabin.

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Lloyd told no one of the affair until some time after the fire season, for as he said, "My arm got along nicely and I was afraid that you would send me out for medical attention if you heard that I had been shot and I didn't want to lose the time."

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If this shot had been three inches to one side it would have been fatal, as it is Lloyd Woodell will carry the scar to his grave, because someone was criminally careless and shot without seeing the horns.

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How long must we be content with a state law that provides a heavier penalty for accidently shooting an elk or mountain sheep than man?" Contributed by G.J. Tucker

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From the "Six Twenty-Six" dated January 1929.

Beware of the biscuits

From the December 1937 issue of the "Six Twenty-Six":
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"Archibald was the unofficial companion and real comrade of the Meadow Mountain Lookout. For eight years he had held that position. He had seen men come and go - from the old timer to the greenest recruit. During this time he had acquired a fund of wisdom and understanding. Those who had been there before awaited with anticipation his first call each season after the station was manned. New men soon became his staunch friends.

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But this year something happened. Archibald duly made his appearance when Leonard Herbert opened the station. Day after day he called to pay his respects, to keep the lookout company as he went about his work, and, perhaps, to be offered some tidbit. All went well until the first of August, then no longer did Archibald enter the very door of the lookout cabin or frisk about outside. He had vanished! No one knows whether his career has met a sad and sudden ending. But Leonard wonders whether there is any connection between Archibald's disappearance and the fact that on his last call he had been treated to a hearty meal of home-made biscuits."

Contributed by E.D. Wilmouth

Here Kitty,Kitty?

The "Six Twenty-Six", August 1928:
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"On July 8, 1928, Ranger M.H. Durban of the Gardiner District killed a young cougar which measured 6'4" from tip to tip. Durban had been working on the lookout tower at Fern Top Mountain and had noted fresh tracks in the trail near the lookout. He phoned Lewis Seymour of Gardiner, who has two well-trained dogs. Consequently Mr. Seymour lost no time in leaving for the lookout, but being rather fat and soft made it only part way up the mountain that evening. Next morning he had traveled only a short distance, treeing the cougar near the lookout. Ranger Durban, hearing the dogs at bay, was soon there and shot the animal from near the top of a large hemlock tree."

"A better idea"

"Crook County Journal" August 26, 1920:

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"Ranger Donnelly is in charge of this unit of the Ochoco National Forest and demonstrated his usefulness and originality just after the recent severe electrical storm. This storm set eleven fires which started almost simultaneously and which were scattered over his entire district comprising some 400,000 acres. Incidentally, a bolt of lightning struck the Forest Service telephone line only a short distance from the Snow Mountain Lookout cabin and was warm enough to burn a section out of the wire. It also burned out some essential parts of the telephone at the lookout station and left Ranger Donnelly in a rather embarrassing position with only one man in sight as a helper to extinguish the eleven fires smoking up before him.

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Mr. Donnelly remembered that some years ago he had operated more or less successfully one Henry Ford car and that when he sold or gave away this parcel of tinware that he reserved for possible future emergencies, one of the ignition coils. He proceeded to find the old coil and took it to Snow Mountain lookout where with screwdriver, hammer, etc., he dissected the instrument, installed the old Ford coil and now has the instrument working about 150 percent efficient."