KITTITAS COUNTY
RED TOP MOUNTAIN
Wenatchee National Forest
21N-17E-19
21N-17E-19
September 18, 1918: "Two standard lookout houses have been shipped for forest service the past week by the Millmade Construction Company, of Portland. One house goes to Red Mountain in the Wenatchee forest. Both were shipped in knockdown form and will be packed in to their respective locations." (Oregonian)
January 28, 1924: "The following letter was found on the table in the Redtop lookout house a short time ago:
'Red Top Lookout for 1924,_ Hello Old Top!
Best wishes for the loneliest three months you ever spent.
There will doubtless be moments, even days, when things will look
so blue that even cussing couldn't possibly make the air bluer.
At least that has been my experience since I started 64 days ago,
and Gad! but it seems centuries.
But now with the small pellets of rain jazzing 'Tomorrow,
tomorrow, how happy I will be!' all the past loneliness seems
trivial for every drop makes more sure the one important thought
'Tomorrow I'm going home.'
I've been told that the lookout works a charm on one so that
they are anxious to return. I really believe it for I hope to come
back.
Best wishes for 1924. James Burnie Beck
P.S. Sherman was wrong -- The rain was a failure so I'm still here." (Six Twenty-Six)
September 1926: "Lookout Rosnold on Red Top Mountain realizes that his job has hazards not in his regular line of duty. Over 120 girls from the Ellensburg State Normal School visited the lookout early in the season. Rosnold managed to hide out until they signed the register and left the lookout. Rosnold is preparing a visibility map of his lookout with unusual accuracy. His intimate knowledge of the region is a big help to him in working up this map. A.J. Jaenicke" (Six Twenty-Six)
November 1929: "The following lightning story may be of interest to those who been uncertain as to the efficiency of the present method used for protecting our lookout houses.
Ranger Anderson at Casland, on the Wenatchee, one evening last summer during an electrical storm, watched the lightning play around the lookout house on Red Top Mountain several miles distant.
He said it struck the top of the mountain, close to the building ten or twelve times at intervals of five or ten minutes. During this time there were what appeared to be forked streamers of fire from all the conductor 'points' on the building, that he could see.
As far as he could tell, the building received but two direct 'hits'. One of these caused a violent disturbance at the point where one of the guy cables (which are part of the conductor system) was attached to an eyebolt in a cliff, dislodging probably a ton of rock, appearing to him as though there had been a heavy blast of dynamite. The rubber insulator was burned off of the telephone wire leading into the building up to the W.B.G. (1/2 ampere) fuse.
This was burned out and the glass tube in the vacuum arrester shattered.
The lookout was in the building at the time and probably did not think the lightning was 'playing' although he said he experienced only a 'queer sensation' and for a day or two afterward had some difficulty in getting his hair to lie down again. C.M. Allen" (Six Twenty-Six)
Ranger Anderson at Casland, on the Wenatchee, one evening last summer during an electrical storm, watched the lightning play around the lookout house on Red Top Mountain several miles distant.
He said it struck the top of the mountain, close to the building ten or twelve times at intervals of five or ten minutes. During this time there were what appeared to be forked streamers of fire from all the conductor 'points' on the building, that he could see.
As far as he could tell, the building received but two direct 'hits'. One of these caused a violent disturbance at the point where one of the guy cables (which are part of the conductor system) was attached to an eyebolt in a cliff, dislodging probably a ton of rock, appearing to him as though there had been a heavy blast of dynamite. The rubber insulator was burned off of the telephone wire leading into the building up to the W.B.G. (1/2 ampere) fuse.
This was burned out and the glass tube in the vacuum arrester shattered.
The lookout was in the building at the time and probably did not think the lightning was 'playing' although he said he experienced only a 'queer sensation' and for a day or two afterward had some difficulty in getting his hair to lie down again. C.M. Allen" (Six Twenty-Six)
June 23, 1933: Liberty Ranger District: C. Couchman, Redtop lookout. (The Leavenworth Echo)
May 29, 1934: "A trail worker has been sent to Redtop, on the south side of the forest, as an emergency look-out, until the regular look-out reports.” (The Wenatchee Daily World)