In 1991, Doug Newman arranged for Don Allen and Bill Joy to meet up with some local folks from the Molalla area, led by Jim Borders, and help them kick off the restoration of Pechuck Lookout, a unique ODF lookout with a stone base and wooden cupola. The first task was simply to repair the roof during Autumn rains.
| Quick Facts | Pechuk Lookout |
|---|---|
| Agency | Bureau of Land Management |
| District | Northwest Oregon District |
| Elevation | 4,338’ (1322 m.) |
| Year Built | 1932 |
| Style | Unique with locally quarried stone base and wood-frame cupola on top. |
| Major SMS Work Efforts | 1991 (led re-roofing project with local volunteers who grabbed the mantle) |
| Season | May – November |
| Location | 44.93421 N, 122.29695 W |
| Access | Today Pechuck is a 5.2-mile, moderately difficult hike. |
| Additional Notes | The lookout was staffed until 1963 and managed by Oregon Department of Forestry until it was acquired by BLM in a land swap. The lookout is open to public use on a first come, first served basis. |
One of the most interesting buildings the SMS has ever worked on is the stone-based cupola lookout at Pechuck Mountain near the south end of Table Rock Wilderness on the west slope of the Cascade Range. While our participation as an organization at Pechuck was brief, and the project was ultimately adopted by a separate group called Friends of Pechuck, in those early days the repairs to get the building “over the hump” were the result of an intense shared effort.
Pechuck, like many original fire lookouts, actually sits on a minor point near the end of a ridge. Because of it’s strategic view over what were at that time some of the biggest trees in the state, the limited view was critical due to the value of the timber that once filled the drainages below. Today, most of those virgin forests are long gone: instead the heavily managed second-growth forests below are criss-crossed by a network of logging and spur roads. Access to the lookout can be very confusing, even with a good map.
Because of its unique construction and high heritage value, Pechuck Lookout was strategically honored as only the second lookout listed on the Historic Fire Lookout Register. Sand Mountain was the first to be so-listed.