BLUE RIDGE
Coos County - Coos County FPA - 26S-12W-35
February 28, 1931: "The patrol will build a modern glass enclosed lookout on Blue Ridge east of Marshfield." (The Coos Bay Times)
September 3, 1933: "Blue Ridge Lookout is located NE of SE Section 35, T26S, R12W. Material is on the railroad at the top of the hill, 1/2 mile from site of tower. Trail is also constructed to site. This crew consists of ten men. They will build the lookout house and tower. 4000 feet of timber at the present time at the 6200 feet grading. Will require some rock work to make it passable. Also a small bridge yet to be built. All work will have to be done by hand labor." (Samuel L. Miller Field Report)
September 20, 1933: "The lookout towers, located on Blue Ridge and Anderson mountain, are nearing completion and another week should see the work finished. Each lookout is 60 feet high, complete with a fully equipped cabin on top of the tower. The Blue Ridge telephone line was to be completed today. It extends from the Blue Ridge lookout to the forest service in Marshfield" (The Coos Bay Times)
October 15, 1933: "The tower and cabin on this point are almost completed. It is a very fine looking job and should prove to be quite an asset to the Coos Fire Patrol Association.
It was quite foggy while upon the mountain and it was impossible to see any of the surrounding country. The construction of the tower has opened up 40 degrees more territory than it has been previously possible to see." (Samuel L. Miller Field Report)
1933: A 55-foot tower constructed by the CCC.
April 10, 1934: "March 27, Coquille Camp. With Mr. Hoffman made a trip over the Blue Ridge road to the tower. They have approximately 3,000 feet to go to put the road in passable shape to the lookout tower." (Samuel L. Miller Field Report)
May 1934: "The road to Blue Ridge lookout completed." (Forest Log)
June 21, 1935: "The 'flying squadron,' located in the fire patrol warehouse in Marshfield, is working this week repairing the road to the Blue Ridge lookout." (The Coos Bay Times)
August 31, 1935: "John Queen, instructor in the science department of Marshfield High School who has been a lookout for the Coos fire patrol stationed at Blue Ridge during the summer, has returned to resume his duties at school. Ralph Scarbrough of Bridge, who has been a member of the 'flying squadron' of fire fighters stationed in Marshfield during the summer, will take the Blue Ridge position." (The Coos Bay Times)
1937: "Blue Ridge Lookout. Location is in the middle of a long ridge with very small percentage of land visible in 8 mile zone. This lookout could be improved by moving the present tower to the northern edge of the ridge and by establishing a supplemental lookout point on the southern edge of the ridge." (S.L. Miller Field Report)
July 7, 1937: "First lookout to be manned this summer by Coos Fire patrol is at Blue Ridge, at which John Queen, Marshfield High school instructor, has been stationed. District Warden Keith Young announced today." (The Coos Bay Times)
September 17, 1937: "Burtell Olin, Eugene, was assigned to Coos Fire Patrol lookout post on Blue Ridge this week, replacing Charles Foster, who held the post for a few days after John Queen left the lookout station to return to his duties on the Marshfield High School faculty. Olin was on the Blue Ridge lookout last fall after Queen ended his summer's work. Foster has returned to Corvallis for the fall and winter school tern." (The Coos Bay Times)
June 11, 1941: "First lookout to be assigned for the 1941 fire season by the Coos Fire Patrol association is Lloyd Jarvis, who has been dispatched to open the Blue Ridge lookout station." (The Coos Bay Times)
June 12, 1941: "The Coos Fire Patrol association dispatched a lookout to Blue Ridge station yesterday, first of the season. Unless there is heavy rain, all of the lookouts will be at their posts by June 15, District Warden Keith Young said." (Corvallis Gazette-Times)
October 6, 1943: "STRAYED: From Blue Ridge lookout, one fox terrier, name 'Jerry' Left Oct. 2. Two brown spots on left side. Call L.T. Jarvis, Myrtle Point." (The Coos Bay Times)
May 28, 1945: "Alfreda Leaton of Empire will be stationed at Trail Butte lookout above Allegany, having served at the Blue Ridge lookout last summer." (The Coos Bay Times)
1948: The lookout was staffed at half time, the cost of staffing was $255.00. (Oregon Department of Forestry Annual Report - 1948)
September 23, 1952: "Queenie, the dog which helped her mistress watch for fires in the Coos county forests for five years, is gone.
When Miss Frankie Gilliland of Corvallis started work in 1947 as Brewster Rock lookout for the Coos Forest Protective association, she brought Queenie along with her. It took a little urging at first but soon Queenie went up and down the steps to the lookout at will. There were many chipmunks, squirrels and other animals in the forest to make life interesting for Queenie.
Each summer, Queenie came back to the forest and whichever lookout to which Miss Gilliland was assigned. In 1950, when the two were on Anderson mountain, Oueenie was photographed by the Times while climbing the lookout tower.
Queenie was 10 or 11 years old this past summer. Perhaps it was her age or perhaps she was too eager to get to the ground to chase some animal. Queenie had started down from the tower and had reached the second landing when she slipped, then plunged to the ground. That was the end for Queenie." (The Coos Bay Times)
1958: "The Blue Ridge and Beaver Hill lookouts, after 23 and 24 years respectively, were condemned and demolished. Two new 50 foot CT-3 treated timber towers with 14 x 14 cabins were erected in the same locations for replacements. Cost of materials and facilities in these two towers will be approximately $6,000. All labor on these towers was performed with our regular personnel." (Coos District Annual Report)
June 16, 1958: "Nearing completion is the new lookout tower on Blue Ridge, about 10 airline miles southeast of Coos Bay. Replacing a tower erected in 1934 and razed this year because of rotting timbers, the new tower is 63.6 feet from the ground to the peak of the roof. The floor of the cabin occupying the tower top is 53.5 feet from the ground. Built after an improved design, a Coos Forest Protective Assn. crew of Ted Hariman, Bill Hoffman, Floyd Peachee and Howard Hudson did the erection job after timbers were pre-cut at the patrol's Bay Park headquarters. The tower, erected at an elevation of 1,580 feet, provides a view which includes eight other lookout towers in the Coos Bay patrol area. Coos Bay can be seen from the tower." (The World)
July 17, 1965: "Nancy Leatherman and Terrell Clarke" "The couple went up the Oregon coast for a honeymoon trip. They will be living the next three months at Blue Ridge Lookout, where the bride is employed by Coos Forest Protective Assn." (The World)
1965: "Elk Mountain is located some 3 1/2 miles southwest of Sitkum and serves as a replacement for Brewster Rock, Signal Tree and Blue Ridge Lookouts." (Coos District Annual Report)
September 7, 1972: "Public Notice: Because of construction work, Blue Ridge Road to Blue Ridge Lookout will be closed to the public until further notice." (The World)
1974: "The Blue Ridge lookout tower, which has not been used for several years, was dismantled during the year because of rot." (Coos District Annual Report)
NGS Data Sheet
DESIGNATION - BLUE
PID - OA1240
STATE/COUNTY- OR/COOS
COUNTRY - US
USGS QUAD - DANIELS CREEK (2017)
STATION DESCRIPTION
DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1942 (JCS)
STATION IS LOCATED ABOUT 3.5 MILES (AIR LINE) ESE OF SUMNER, 4.0
MILES W OF FAIRVIEW, 9.5 MILES SE OF MARSHFIELD, ON THE HIGHEST
POINT AND IN THE CENTER OF A LONG RIDGE THAT HAS A FRINGE OF TREES ACROSS THE S END. THE ELEVATION OF THE STATION IS APPROXIMATELY1,500 FEET.
TO REACH STATION FROM THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC CO. RAILROAD STATION
IN MARSHFIELD, GO S ON U.S. HIGHWAY 101 FOR 4.6 MILES TO ROAD
ON THE LEFT (E) AT SIGN SUMNER 5-COOS COUNTRY CLUB-COOS CITY. TURN
LEFT (E), CROSS BRIDGE AND GO 4.6 MILES TO SUMNER. CONTINUE E
4.7 MILES TO THE TOP OF LONG GRADE AT SIGN MARSHFIELD 18-SUMNER
5-FAIRVIEW 3-BLUE RIDGE L.O. TURN LEFT (N) THROUGH LOCKED GATE
AND FOLLOW THIS ROAD 3.4 MILES TO AZIMUTH MARK ON THE LEFT (N)
SIDE OF ROAD. CONTINUE 1.4 MILES TO BLUE RIDGE LOOKOUT TOWER AND
STATION.
STATION MARK IS A BRONZE STATION DISK SET IN THE TOP OF A 1-FOOT
SQUARE CONCRETE MONUMENT THAT PROJECTS ABOUT 4 INCHES ABOVE THE GROUND. DISK IS STAMPED BLUE 1942. IT IS 6.60 METERS W OF THE
CENTER OF BLUE RIDGE LOOKOUT TOWER. UNDERGROUND MARK IS A BRONZE STATION DISK SET IN CONCRETE.