Continuing the work of a beloved founding member: Roxie Metzler
One of our founding members, Roxie Metzler, was a legend in the lookout community, and a cherished friend to all of us in SMS. A high school English teacher and third-generation lookout, Roxie worked summers at many sites over the course of her life, including eight seasons at Iron Mountain Lookout near Sweet Home, Oregon, but her last stop was at Huckleberry Mountain near Oakridge, Oregon. When the District wanted to replace the historic lookout there with a modern structure in the early 1990s, Roxie objected, offering instead to lead the restoration of the existing lookout. While this effort took a toll, Roxie formed a group called “Friends of Huckleberry” and successfully restored the lookout that is still staffed today. She didn’t even have to ask her friends in the Sand Mountain Society to help: we just showed up. When the project was completed, the Friends group was dissolved, and Roxie sadly passed away a few years later in 2008 at the age of 64. From that point on, the Sand Mountain Society has taken on the continuing maintenance of Huckleberry Lookout in Roxie’s honor.
| Quick Facts | Huckleberry Mountain Lookout |
|---|---|
| Agency | Willamette National Forest |
| District | Middle Fork Ranger District |
| Elevation | 5,545’ (1,690 m.) |
| Year Built | 1938 |
| Style | Hip-roofed L-4 with outriggers |
| Major SMS Work Efforts | 1992 (original restoration, including structural repairs) 1995 (removed replacement plywood ceiling with in-kind 1×6 rustic bevel, provided by SMS) 1996 (refurbished fir floor) 2017 (replaced rotted outrigger framing and original shutters) 2025 (replaced broken planes of glass) |
| Season | Late June- late October |
| Location | 43.846405° N, 122.318038° W |
| Access | Good gravel road to moderate ⅓ mile hike. |
| Additional Notes | The access road has a lockable gate about ½ mile from the trailhead that is normally open during operating hours. A porta potty is normally provided at the trailhead. The lookout serves as a radio repeater site, and therefore has solar panels mounted on the roof and an ADA-compliant catwalk, detracting it’s historic look, but the cabin itself is top notch. |
Like so many other lookout sites, the historic lookout atop Huckleberry Mountain near Oakridge, Oregon had a key advocate who kept it alive. In this case, that person was Roxie Metzler, a third generation fire lookout and charter member of the SMS who was a friend to everyone she knew. Roxie was highly influential in the formation of the Society’s restoration ethic. Roxie was famous for fostering appreciation of nature among her visitors, which she believed would lead to better treatment of the land. She was an expert at identifying plants, birds, and she became a master of historic preservation. She served as a trusted member of the SMS Board of Directors until her passing in 2008.
Huckleberry Lookout was the last of several lookouts she staffed during her lifetime, and when District officials began to discuss possibly replacing the historic building in the early 1990s, she offered instead to lead and organize a restoration effort (to be carried-out by a combination of volunteers and Forest Service personnel). The SMS supported each phase of her work.
Ultimately, Roxie organized a group of local volunteers called “Friends of Huckleberry,” which worked in partnership with District officials. It was a model project that — in classic Roxie form — brought together people from the District, local businesses, colleges, and of course, the SMS.
Roxie was never one to take shortcuts, and her devotion to traditional methods was contagious. As an educator with a Master’s degree, she was particularly skilled at explaining the value of doing things in just the right way. Roxie’s ethic of quality and her sensitivity to preserving historic fabric quickly became the Society’s prevailing philosophy, setting the tone for the work we have carried forward ever since. Huckleberry Lookout stands as a testament to Roxie’s efforts.
The SMS continues to work with District officials to maintain the structure that Roxie (and a supportive Heritage staff) saved. Now the building that was once a point of contention is a point of pride for the Ranger District.Thanks to their shared interests, Roxie became a close friend of Doug Newman, the well-known writer and outdoor enthusiast from Eugene who advocated for the preservation of historic fire lookouts everywhere. Roxie guided Doug to Sand Mountain for his first visit after the “new old lookout,” as he called it, was under construction.
The Sand Mountain Society has returned many times to maintain Huckleberry Lookout, with major efforts in 1990-92, 1998, 2008, and 2017.