Lookout Lore

In the early part of the 20th century, the fledgling lookout system seemed to make sense for the vast forests of the American West. Most were built by the U.S. Forest Service, and at one point, they numbered in the hundreds. None of these lookouts were chosen for ease of access or safety. Virtually all have impressive views.

As a seasonal employee of the USFS for nine seasons, I spent most of my time as a wilderness ranger and firefighter. However, on occasion, I was asked to fill-in for lookout employees, so they could take their four-day weekends to refresh and resupply. It was always a delightful assignment, and I appreciated the opportunity.

On the Malheur National Forest, my job was wilderness ranger for the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness, but once in a while, I staffed lookouts on Antelope Mountain and Dixie Butte. Many, but not all, lookouts were female, and most seasonal Forest Service employees were college students who would return to school in the fall.

The Europeans had years of experience protecting and managing their own forests. Gifford Pinchot, a Yale graduate, attended schools of forestry in France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. When he came back to the U.S., he brought some conservation ideas learned overseas. His arrival on the scene was timed perfectly.

President Teddy Roosevelt shared Pinchot's enthusiasm for forest conservation, and appointed him as the chief of the U.S. Forest Service. Soon, trails and lookouts would become a permanent part of the federal fire protection system. Some were built in extremely inhospitable places, like Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams.

Over the years, lookout cabins themselves went through several architectural periods. The first were free-form: anything that could be constructed to serve a dual purpose of a place to live and an observation point. That approach produced some odd-looking structures. None of the earliest posts seemed to survive.

The most important piece of equipment in a lookout was a rangefinder, which was used to to determine precise bearings on any fire or smoke spotted by the lookout. If more than one lookout could acquire a reading on the same fire, the district ranger station could triangulate the exact location.

In a typical lookout, the firefinder was placed in a two-by-two foot space in the center of the cabin, with telephone or two-way radio mounted beside it. Bed, table and stove filled three corners, with a door on the fourth side. Cupboards below the windows stored supplies. Firefinders were manufactured in Portland, Oregon.

Because many forest fires were lightning-caused, the buildings were protected by lightning rods grounded to all sides, and the telephone also had a grounding switch. On peaks subject to numerous lightning strikes, lookouts could protect themselves by standing on a low stool with glass insulators on short legs.

Many lookouts were artists or artisans who practiced their crafts in their spare time. One I knew transported (by road) a loom for weaving rugs and other projects. Today, lookouts are a dying breed. Most have been replaced by helicopter or airplane surveillance and infra-red heat sensors to determine the location of a forest fire.