LAKE COUNTY
ABERT RIM
Fremont National Forest
32S-21E-3
32S-21E-3
May 21, 1931: "In May this site was selected as an auxiliary lookout station." (Lake County Examiner)
July 21, 1932: "A tower, 60-foot in height, will be placed on a point two miles west of Sherman Valley, together with a ground cabin." (Lake County Examiner)
September 1932: "On September 28 the concrete for the tower foundation was poured. The living quarters had already been finished. The tower is to be made of steel and a height of sixty feet. The labor force was part of the Forest Relief Program to put unemployed people to work.
Once completed in the fall, the fireman from Bulls Prairie will occupy this station next year. The log cabin, built in 1911, which served as a fireman station for twenty-one years will be relegated to use as an emergency station." (Lake County Examiner)
1932: The lookout tower, a 72-foot (?) steel Aermotor structure with a 7x7 cab, was completed. Other structures built at this time were a 12x16 one-room living quarters, a 16x18 garage and a standard R-6 toilet. Water came from a spring about 1/4 of a mile away. The lookout was equipped with an Osborne #6 fire finder. Total cost of construction was $1982.71. (Fremont National Forest Archives)
1932: New telephone lines were built. (Fremont National Forest Archives)
1933: Standard lightning protection installed on the tower and living quarters, the grounding ran over the rim to rods. (Fremont National Forest Archives)
1956: This station was numbered F-17 as it's air marking number. (Fremont National Forest Archives)
October 16, 1958: "Completion of a 25-mile road, at a cost of about three-quarters of a million dollars, was announced last week by A.J. "Kelly" Callaghan, resident manager of the American Forest Products Corporation here. The road extends from Camas Prairie to tap the National Forest timber in the North Warner area, running to the Fremont National Forest boundary north of White Pine Marsh." (Lake County Examiner)
July 7, 1959: "Abert Rim Lookout is manned by Mike Brott, a psychology student from the University of Oregon. He originally came from North Platte, Nebraska. This is his second season on the forest." (Herald and News)
September 1959: "The lookout tower is steel and 60 feet high. The cab is steel and 7x7 in size. Tower and cab were made by Aermotor Company, and was erected in 1934 (incorrect).
The premises were clean and orderly.
Deficiencies: Stairs and landing not properly fenced. The steel stair treads are slippery under certain conditions. There is a gap of about 12" between the platform landings and the first stair tread. (Between the platform and a plumb line dropped from the nosing of the stair tread above.)
Recommendations: Skidproof the stair treads with paint or other material available for this purpose and install an extra stair tread at the level of the platform landing." (Inspection Report of the Regional Engineer Office)
July 22, 1960: "Ross D. and Eunice N. Bailey occupy Abert Rim Lookout. They are from Monmouth where Bailey is a major in elementary education at Oregon College of Education." (Herald and News)
July 2, 1961: "Abert Rim Lookout is manned by Mr. and Mrs. Tony Allen. He is a chemical engineering senior at Ottawa University, Kansas." (Herald and News)
July 5, 1962: "A report that a military jet aircraft had crashed on the desert north of Abert Lake Monday afternoon, July 2, started an air and ground search which was called off when the report proved unfounded, said Sheriff Don Woodruff.
A lookout on Abert Rim notified the Forest Service that he saw a low-flying plane which appeared to have crashed north of the lake. Myron Buswell, manager of the local airport, and Klamath Falls airport, were notified, as was Woodruff's office, and the Civil Defense Search and Rescue unit was alerted." (Lake County Examiner)
January 24, 1963: "Stairway landings are screened. The only problem is the trap door which is too heavy for some of our women lookouts to lift. Spring of 1963, we will cut this door in two and reinforce with strap iron to decrease weight. We will place a sign advising "Keep trap door closed". We have no problem with our people not closing the trap door as the floor is quite crowded (7x7) as it is with radio, fire finder, chair, etc." (Memo from District Ranger to the Forest Supervisor)
1969: The 1969 lookout inventory notes that the lookout is used only for emergencies.
1969: "There is a garage and toilet at Abert Rim that could be torn down since we no longer use these stations except on a day to day basis. Also a small one room cabin for housing that should be torn down. By removing these structures, we would save numerous maintenance problems since these are the locations of many of our vandalism problems.
We have not used these cabins for housing for several years and do not have plans to use them in the future. However, we still must maintain them to keep them in safe and presentable condition." (Memo from District Ranger to the Forest Supervisor)
1972: The 1972 Lookout Condition Report has a notation indicating this to be an emergency tower and not inspected, but notes the life remaining in the structure to be about years.
1976: The lookout removed.
DESIGNATION - ABERT RIM
PID - NY0773
STATE/COUNTY- OR/LAKE
COUNTRY - US
USGS QUAD - LITTLE HONEY CREEK (1968)
STATION DESCRIPTION
DESCRIBED BY US FOREST SERVICE 1948 (MTP)
THE STATION IS ON THE SUMMIT OF ABERT RIM ABOUT 7 MILES
SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF VALLEY FALLS, 15 MILES NORTH-NORTHEAST OF
LAKEVIEW, AND 4 MILES EAST OF U.S. HIGHWAY 395.
THE STATION MARK IS SET IN A DEPRESSION OF A 6X18 INCH BED ROCK
PROJECTING 2 INCHES ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE GROUND. IT IS 16
FEET EAST OF THE WEST EDGE OF THE RIM ROCK, 12 FEET SOUTHWEST OF
THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE ABERT RIM LOOKOUT LIVING QUARTERS, AND
4 FEET SOUTH OF THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE LIVING QUARTERS. THE
STATION MARK IS A U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREST SERVICE
MARK STAMPED ABERT RIM 1935.
TO REACH FROM THE JUNCTION OF U.S. HIGHWAY 395 AND STATE HIGHWAY
66, GO NORTH ON HIGHWAY 395 FOR 11.3 MILES, TAKE RIGHT FORK AS
PER SIGN ABERT RIM L.O.9 AND GO 0.2 MILE, CONTINUE STRAIGHT AHEAD
FOR 0.9 MILE, TAKE LEFT FORK AT SIGN ABERT RIM L.O. 7 AND GO
1.7 MILES, TAKE RIGHT FORK AS PER SIGN ABERT RIM L.O. 6 AND GO
4.4 MILES TO SIGN ABERT RIM L.O. 2, HERE TAKE LEFT FORK AND GO
AS PER SIGN FOR 1.9 MILES TO THE LOOKOUT TOWER. THE STATION IS
LOCATED 165.2 FEET EAST OF THE TOWER AS DESCRIBED.