Volunteer

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.