GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY
MINOT PEAK
Department of Natural Resources
16N-6W-10
16N-6W-10
1929: A tower was erected. (22nd Annual Report of the Washington Forest Fire Association)
August 7, 1930: "A fire believed caused either by berry pickers or campers, today had burned over 30 acres of green timber and about 100 acres of new logging slashings in the Clemons Logging Company property at the head of Rock Creek, near Cedarville in eastern Grays Harbor county.
The fire, which started yesterday afternoon, today forced Geo. M. Landon, a lookout on Minot Mountain, to abandon his post as it crept up the side of the mountain. Approximately 100 to 150 men were fighting the blaze." (The Centralia Daily Chronicle)
July 24, 1933: "Charged with having caused a fire to be set in a forest area without a permit, Chapin Collins, Montesano publisher and president of the Montesano Chamber of Commerce, was arrested Friday and pleaded guilty before Justice Arthur M. Furnia, and was fined $200.
Collins is in charge of the development of an open air forest theater in Sylvia Lake park in which a masque will be presented on August 13, during the celebration of Montesano's golden jubilee.
Smoke rising from burning rubbish in the theater site was spotted Wednesday by the Minot lookout, 12 miles away, which is maintained by the state division of forestry. The lookout station notified Fire Warden O.B. Wedekind, giving the location of the fire with such precision that Deputy Guy Bilow was at the fire within 25 minutes after being ordered to extinguish the blaze by his chief." (The Centralia Daily Chronicle)
October 5, 1934: Panorama photos taken.
Activated: March 9, 1942. Olympia Filter Center.
May 1, 1944: Aircraft Warning Service Station 'How 1-6' utilized existing facilities owned by the State of Washington. The AWS added a 12 x 20 garage to the sites improvements. At the end of service the State retained the structures to continue their use for fire detection. (Report of AWS Stations - May 1, 1944)
1945: "A second lookout was found necessary to replace that on Minot Mountain in Section 10, Township 16 North, Range 6 West. This was in part because of decay in one of the leg supports and in part because it was intended to make this tower a relay station in the radio chain, and a larger cabin was essential. The tower was built during the fall of 1945, utilizing the existing anchors of the old tower for the guy lines. During the big storm of late November, when winds were registered, at sea level, in gusts of 72 miles per hour, one of the eyes in the anchors straightened out and released all tension on that guy line. The second anchor bolt then pulled free, and the tower went over. It was a most unfortunate circumstance. The tower will have to be rebuilt. Fortunately, it is believed that some of the material used in construction will be usable for reconstruction." (38th Annual Report of the Washington Forest Fire Association)
1946: "The Minot Lookout tower was reerected and again placed in use. The anchor bolts are set in concrete 2'0" x 2'0" x 4'0", eyebolts are 1 1/8 inches in diameter and are galvanized for their full length." (39th Annual Report of the Washington Forest Fire Association)
April 12, 1951: "With fire detection program stepped up by the unbroken period of warm, dry weather, the state forestry division opened the Mount Minot lookout station Wednesday, according to District Forest Warden O.B. Wedekind.
Ben Harner, in charge of the station seven miles south of Elma for the past several seasons, again will be the lookout. The tower and cabin are located on top of the 1700-foot hill lying between headwaters of the Delezene and Rock creeks. More than 1,000,000 acres of forest land are covered by the lookout." (The Daily Chronicle)
April 24, 1956: "The Minot peak forest fire lookout, highest point in southern Grays Harbor county, was activated Friday for the summer fire season, according to O.B. Wedekind, district warden for the state division of forestry.
Mrs. Martha Depoe of Shelton, who has spent her summers for a number of years as a fire lookout for the forestry department, moved into the lookout quarters a week earlier than last year to begin scanning the hills and valleys for telltale signs of smoke." (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, one of which is located at Minot Mountain, Grays Harbor County." (2nd Biennial Report Washington Department of Natural Resources)
Removed
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National Geodetic Survey |
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DESIGNATION - MINOT LOOKOUT TOWER 1953
PID - SC1607
STATE/COUNTY- WA/GRAYS HARBOR
COUNTRY - US
USGS QUAD - SOUTH ELMA (1993)
STATION DESCRIPTION
DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1953 (RAG)
THE STATION IS THE TOP AND CENTER OF THE STATE FOREST SERVICE
LOOKOUT TOWER, LOCATED ON A HIGH HILL, CLEARED OF TIMBER, WHICH
IS ABOUT 6 MILES (AIRLINE) SOUTH OF ELMA.
THE LOOKOUT TOWER IS A WOODEN STRUCTURE, HAS 4 POLE LEGS AND IS
57 FEET IN HEIGHT.
