LEWIS COUNTY
BAW FAW PEAK (BOISTFORT PEAK)
Department of Natural Resources
12N-4W-29
12N-4W-29
1919: "We established a temporary lookout on Baw Faw Peak in southwestern Lewis County. The State and Forest Service contributed to this project. Five and one-half miles of telephone line was constructed and four or five acres of sapling timber were slashed down in order to give the watchman an unobstructed view. The range of vision from this point takes in all of western Lewis, Northwestern Cowlitz, Wahkiakum, Pacific, southeastern Grays Harbor, and southern Thurston counties. So many fires were reported from this point that we feel warranted in making it a permanent station and have planned to construct a lookout house there next year." (12th Annual Report of the Washington Forest Fire Association)
1919: "Two new lookouts were established this biennium, the first in 1919 on Boistfort Peak in western Lewis county. The Washington Forest Fire Association contributed much the larger portion for the construction of this lookout. The top of the peak was cleared of trees, a lookout building erected, a fairly good trail was constructed and a telephone line built connecting the lookout with the district warden's headquarters and City of Chehalis. The Long-Bell Lumber Company contributed to this improvement by assisting in trail construction and also in clearing the top of the peak so that a better range of vision might be had." (1919-20 Annual Report Washington State Forester)
1920: "We maintained a lookout watchman on Boistfort Peak in southwestern Lewis County. We constructed a lookout house on Boistfort Peak this year. We were assisted in cutting down some timber which obstructed the view to the southeast from this point, by the Long-Bell Lumber Company, and they also helped in the construction of a better trail to the lookout." (13th Annual Report of the Washington Forest Fire Association)
May 15, 1925: "Baw Faw peak, the highest peak and most strategic forest fire outlook in Southwest Washington, situated in the extreme southwestern corner of Lewis County, is to have a full fledged weather observation station, the only one outside of the cities in the state, according to George C. Joy, state supervisor of forests.
Mr. Joy visited Baw Faw peak on Wednesday, meeting there with Geo. W. Alexander and O.A. Schick of the Seattle United States weather bureau, who will install the apparatus.
With co-operation of the weather bureau in the scientific end of it, the station is being installed at the joint expense of the Long-Bell Lumber Company, which has great timber holdings around and south of the peak, and by the Washington Forest Fire Association.
The instruments, costing about $1,000, will include a wind direction and velocity and sunshine recording instrument, a hydro-thermograph and a rain gauge.
The instruments will be kept at the fire lookout station on the peak in charge of H.O. Roundtree, one of the most experienced woodsmen and fire lookouts in Southwestern Washington. Last season he located a fire clear over in the Cascades, 50 miles away, to the exact location.
Daily weather reports will be made by telephone to the Seattle bureau. The station will be of especial value in registering the upper air currents, rather than mere surface indications." (The Chehalis Bee-Nugget)
May 17, 1925: "A fully equipped weather observation and forest fire lookout station will be established next week on the summit of Mount Baw Faw, a peak of 3000 feet elevation, located approximately 20 miles southwest of Chehalis, in Lewis county, it was announced here today by George C. Joy, state supervisor of forestry.
The work will be in charge of George W. Alexander, meteorologist for the fire weather service of the federal weather bureau.
The station, which is one of 17 being established in Washington to collect data on pre-forest fire weather conditions, will be provided with wind, rain, sunshine and relative humidity recording instruments, Supervisor Joy said." (The Sunday Oregonian)
May 19, 1925: "The summit of Baw Faw peak, nearly 3000 feet in elevation, overlooking the Long-Bell Lumber company's timber holdings and other areas in Lewis, Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties, will be the site of a fully equipped weather observation and forest fire lookout station, to be installed by the forest fire service." (Morning Oregonian)
June 11, 1925: "Complete weather observation apparatus and a powerful radio receiving set have been installed by the Long-Bell Lumber company on Baw Faw peak, highest point in the company's 100,000 acres of timber holdings. The peak, which is 3100 feet above sea level and heavily timbered to the top, is 14 miles northwest of Ryderwood and is used as a fire lookout station." (Morning Oregonian)
June 12, 1931: H.O. Roundtree of Klaber, the Baw Faw peak lookout. (The Chehalis Bee-Nugget)
May 22, 1936: "The Baw Faw lookout station will again be in charge of H.O. Roundtree." (The Chehalis Bee-Nugget)
1936: An 83-foot lookout tower was erected, (Division of Forestry Annual Report)
October 8, 1937: "H.O. Roundtree, lookout at the Baw Faw peak fire lookout station, reported last week end that he had discovered a wild tiger lily that had 61 blossoms on one stalk. The flower was found a few yards from the lookout. He has several snapshots which show the freak of nature." (The Chehalis Bee-Nugget)
September 18, 1941: "J.G. Morris worked on Baw Faw peak Monday. He was helping the lookout man move from the station to his home." (The Daily Chronicle)
Activated: March 4, 1942. Olympia Filter Center
June 5, 1958: "At Baw Faw this summer, the lookout is manned by Edgar Thomas." (The Daily Chronicle)
1958-60: "The lookout construction work is performed by the Department's own carpentry crew. In the past two years, the crew completed nine lookouts at a cost averaging $8,000 apiece, the modernization of one which is located at Baw Faw, Lewis County." (2nd Biennial Report Washington Department of Natural Resources)
June 9, 1961: "Edgar Thomas, Seattle, will man the Baw Faw lookout." (The Daily Chronicle)
Removed
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National Geodetic Survey |
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DESIGNATION - BAW FAW
PID - SC1615
STATE/COUNTY- WA/LEWIS
COUNTRY - US
USGS QUAD - BOISTFORT PEAK (1986)
STATION DESCRIPTION
DESCRIBED BY US ENGINEERS 1937 (LRW)
STATION IS ABOUT 5.0 MILES SW OF KLABER, WASHINGTON, ON THE HIGHEST
POINT OF THE PEAK KNOWN LOCALLY AS BAW FAW PEAK. STATION IS
DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH A HIGH WOODEN FOREST SERVICE LOOKOUT TOWER
KNOWN AS BAW FAW LOOKOUT TOWER. STATION IS A STANDARD CORPS OF
ENGINEERS TRIANGULATION STATION MARK, STAMPED BAW FAW, 1937.
TABLET IS CEMENTED IN A 4-INCH IRON PIPE BURIED IN THE GROUND,
FLUSH WITH THE SURFACE.
TO REACH THE STATION FROM KLABER, WASHINGTON, TAKE WILDWOOD ROAD
S FOR ABOUT 2-1/4 MILES, TURN RIGHT ON COUNTY ROAD TO PE ELL, GO
ABOUT 2 MILES, TURN LEFT ON OLD DIRT ROAD THAT RUNS S TO LONG BELL
FIRE STATION, GO ABOUT 1.5 MILES TO A POINT WHERE THE ROAD
ENDS. LEAVE TRUCK AND TAKE TRAIL TO THE RIGHT UP THE HILL TO THE
STATION. TIME FROM TRUCK TO STATION LOADED. 3 HOURS. THE
TRAIL THAT LEADS TO THE SUMMIT OF THE HILL IS A WELL-DEFINED CAT
TRAIL.
NOTE--ALL MEASUREMENTS TO CORNERS OF THE TOWER ARE TO THE TOPS OF
THE INSIDE CORNERS OF CONCRETE BASES SUPPORTING THE LEGS OF THE
TOWER.
