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Carpenter Mountain Fire Lookout
Location:
23 miles NE of Vida
Restored by SMS:
1999-2007
Ranger District:
McKenzie River Ranger Station
Honors:
USFS “Windows on the Past Award”
Our Team
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JOHN ELOWER
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Gold Butte Lookout sits in the heart of one of the biggest timber-producing areas in the country.
Gold Butte
Gold Butte Lookout sits in the heart of one of the biggest timber-producing areas in the country. Not surprisingly, given the value of timber and the ruggedness of the terrain, the Detroit Ranger District at one time had as many fire lookouts per square mile as any District in the nation. 14 to be precise. Today, only two lookouts remain, and one of those (Coffin Mountain Lookout) was replaced with a new structure in 1984. When this took place, Gold Butte became the only remaining original fire lookout on a District that once had 14.
The topography of the west slope of the Cascade Range is characterized by steep drainages with lots of hidden spots. Gold Butte sits atop a rocky knife-ridge that is much lower in elevation than many of its neighbors, but where the best view of two heavily forested drainages can be enjoyed. The ground seems to fall away to the east and west. Throughout the season, the rapid descent of West Humbug Creek can be heard in the drainage below.
The only lookout that saw longer use by the USFS was Coffin Mountain, which is still in use today. Gold Butte was abandoned in about 1974, and was used thereafter only during periods of high fire danger. This continued into the mid-1990s, until the trees near the cabin were obscuring the view to such an extent that the site was no longer an effective viewpoint for spotting fires.
Gold Butte Lookout was almost lost in the early 1980s. As the building fell out of use and the District no longer had funding to maintain the structure, there was some discussion of burning the old lookout cabin. At this stage a frequent visitor to Gold Butte named Paul Rosa stepped in and volunteered to maintain the building. The work of Paul Rosa and friends to paint the old building, reinforce the deck, and install a wood stove breathed life into the building for several years to come. But Mr. Rosa moved to West Virginia and the lookout again fell into disrepair.
In the autumn of 1998, District Archaeologist Cara Kelly began a search for volunteer assistance to save Gold Butte Lookout. There were serious concerns over the structural reliability of the building which was still used by the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Her search led her to Ron Johnson of Oakridge, a retired USFS Dispatcher and historian who made it his work late in life to help facilitate the conservation of fire lookouts. As a young man in the Forest Service, Ron had been ordered to help burn abandoned lookouts to the ground during an era when the agency was switching to aerial patrols. It was during this period when most of Detroit Ranger District’s historic lookout cabins were lost. Ron was regional Director of the Forest Fire Lookout Association (FFLA). He did not hesitate when Cara asked who she should turn to for help: he said “you need to call Don Allen at the Sand Mountain Society.”
Gold Butte in Snow
Don and Ron had known each other since 1989, when the SMS restored a historic lookout cabin to the summit of Sand Mountain. It was this event which brought together Doug Newman, Ron Johnson, and the many members of the SMS. Soon after Sand Mountain Lookout was finished, a nationwide fire lookout interest group formed. Doug Newman became the first Director of the Pacific Northwest Region for the Forest Fire Lookout Association. Tragically, Doug died in August 1992 at the age of 45 from complications arising from polio, which he had suffered as a young boy.
The loss of Doug Newman was immense for everyone in the community of people interested in fire lookouts and their preservation. The shoes he left behind to fill simply could not humanly be filled by one person. The next best man for the job was Ron Johnson, and he threw his heart and soul into filling the role as best he could.
Shortly after he connected Don and Cara in 1998, and just after the SMS agreed to take on the restoration of Gold Butte Lookout, Ron also died tragically from complications following a rush heart surgery. It was decided then that the SMS should dedicate the restoration of Gold Butte Lookout to Ron’s memory.
The work that lay ahead was unknown to Don Allen and the SMS. Don had worked on Detroit Ranger District as a summer seasonal during the summers of 1984-88, first on fire crew, then later as the lookout staffer at Coffin Mountain. During these years, Don would often visit Gold Butte on his days off, occasionally replacing a broken pane of glass or cleaning the building… whatever small chores needed to be done.
When Don arrived 10 years later in 1998, Gold Butte had fallen quite a long ways. In the intervening winter after meeting with Cara, the deck on the east and west sides of the building had snapped-off under the weight of snow. When the first few pieces of siding were removed, a massive infestation of carpenter ants was revealed. At this point the hearts of the SMS crew sank, for what they thought to be a fairly easy restoration job was already a massive project. Because of the connection to Ron Johnson, they knew they had no choice but to proceed.
Recommended District Archaeologist since it was losing its value for fire detection, there was thought of burning the old cabin. This f into the 1990s. By that time, the lack of maintenance had led to trees fully obscuring the view in most directions.
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