BUNKER HILL (BAY PARK)
Coos County - Coos County FPA - 26S-13W-2
November 25, 1936: "Reference is made to your ECW-Engineering letter of November 20 regarding extension to the Marshfield Tank Tower for the purpose of carrying the 7' x 7' lookout cab.
On October 29, 1936, we sent you three sets of blue prints of our drawing B-901-02, Marshfield Lookout and Water Tank Tower, and three material lists for same. This drawing shows the lookout cab set atop of the housing for the water tank. The plans and material lists for the lookout cab, however, were not sent." (Letter to the State Forester from James Frankland, Assistant Regional Forester)
On October 29, 1936, we sent you three sets of blue prints of our drawing B-901-02, Marshfield Lookout and Water Tank Tower, and three material lists for same. This drawing shows the lookout cab set atop of the housing for the water tank. The plans and material lists for the lookout cab, however, were not sent." (Letter to the State Forester from James Frankland, Assistant Regional Forester)
1936: "The assembled layout of buildings consist of a residence for the district warden, a combined lookout and water tank tower 60 feet high, warehouse, and an office building. The work of construction is being done under the national ECW program with the CCC personnel of Camp Walker, state camp, supplying the labor." (Oregon Department of Forestry Annual Report - 1936)
March 1937: "The building site is on the summit of Bunker Hill, just south of Marshfield. It is not only an excellent building site but also serves as a lookout. A tower has been constructed which serves both the purpose of a water tank and lookout." (The Forest
June 29, 1937: "Twelfth lookout station for the Coos Fire patrol soon will be constructed on top of the 52-foot water tank at the patrol's headquarters in Bay Park. Material for the lookout has arrived at the central office.
The new post will command a view of the Coos Bay area, and will give a needed point for checking with other lookout posts regarding location of fires." (The Coos Bay Times)
July 1937: "The twelfth lookout station for the Association will soon be constructed on top of the 52-foot water tower at headquarters. Material is already on the ground and the work will be carried out by the Walker CCC boys who are side camped at headquarters. This will be a secondary lookout and will serve the territory in the vicinity of Marshfield." (The Forest Log)
August 1937: "A 7 x 7 building to be constructed over the water tank and to be used as a lookout on Bunker Hill at the Marshfield Headquarters." (Forest Log)
1937: The lookout constructed by men from the Walker CCC camp.
October 1, 1937: A tower 47 feet to the 15' x 15' x 12'9" water tank house with a 7 x 7 lookout cab was started April 22, 1936. The construction required 521 man days of labor and a total cost of $753.32. (Investment Record - Structural Improvements - ECW)
November 5, 1937: "In order to make room for 33 new recruits assigned to CCC company 981, 13 additional men have been sent to the Marshfield side camp in Bunker Hill, where a lookout tower is being constructed for Coos Fire patrol. This make a total of 25 men from the Reedsport camp engaged on this project." (The Coos Bay Times)
March 1938: A 40-foot creosoted ring connected tower with a 3,000 gallon water tank required 149 man days of labor and a cost of $841.12. This was in addition to the earlier construction done in 1937. (Investment Record - Structural Improvements - ECW)
December 19, 1938: "Serving as a Christmas beacon for the entire Coos Bay area is the 70-foot lookout tower at the Coos Fire Patrol headquarters in Bay Park.
The tower has been decorated with Christmas lights and gleams nightly with the glow from 125 40-candlepower globes.
Lights outline the tower and lead up to Christmas tree at the very top. The work was planned and done by Ted Rainwater and Ray Pa_ner of the fire patrol staff." (The Coos Bay Times)
December 9, 1941: "Manned almost entirely by women, an air raid lookout station was established on a 24-hour basis this morning at the Coos Fire Patrol association headquarters in Bay Park, to serve Coos Bay.
Arnold J. Spaniol is chief observer, with Mrs. Richard L. Hill and Mrs. Robert Gebhardt chief assistants. The two women this morning completed the first 24 hours of assignments and had a few volunteers left over for the first watches Wednesday." (The Coos Bay Times)
Activated: March 9, 1942; Deactivated: September 11, 1942. Roseburg Filter Center.
May 11, 1942: "Marshfield O.P. is located at Warden Young's headquarters overlooking the city. The post is manned by a widow and a man, both of whom reside in town. A tower is at the station and occasionally used for spotting, though most of the spotting to date has been done from the ground.
Quarters are not needed at the station. The gas and oil house at the foot of the tower will be winterized slightly for the observer on duty. A separate telephone in the gas and oil house is going to be installed, eliminating the present need of running to the office for reporting planes." (Inspection Report by W.N. Parke, AWS Inspector, to James Frankland, USFS)
Quarters are not needed at the station. The gas and oil house at the foot of the tower will be winterized slightly for the observer on duty. A separate telephone in the gas and oil house is going to be installed, eliminating the present need of running to the office for reporting planes." (Inspection Report by W.N. Parke, AWS Inspector, to James Frankland, USFS)
June 26, 1943: "Donaldson, pioneer resident of Coos Bay and the Coquille valley returned home last month to return to his work as the Coos County Fire Patrol lookout at Bunker Hill, where he has worked for several years before going into the service." (The Coos Bay Times)
December 22, 1947: "The lookout tower at Coos Fire Patrol headquarters in Bay Park is being decorated and can be seen from over most of Coos Bay." (The Coos Bay Times)
1953: "The 70 ft. tower at Coos Bay Hdqrs, was given a complete paint job." (Coos District Annual Report)
October 16, 1965: "Its basic usefulness gone with the advance of time and community progress, razing has begun on the tower and water tank at the Coos Bay headquarters of the Coos Forest Patrol. A familiar landmark on the Bay Area skyline for about 30 years, it has long since ceased to be used for a lookout tower. The advent of the Bay Park-Millington Water District with its connection with the Coos Bay - North Bend Water Board's Pony Creek system ended use of the water tank under the lookout platform." (The World)
1965: "The 60 foot water tower at Coos Bay headquarters was dismantled and the materials salvaged." (Coos District Annual Report)
August 17, 1996: "The 12x12 foot lookout atop a 40-foot steel tower next to the association's district headquarters on Bunker Hill has a grand view of the Coos Bay area. But few urban blazes will be reported from the new lookout, and no one will regularly pull duty in the tower." (The Register-Guard)
STATION DESCRIPTION
DESCRIBED BY US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 1942
LOCATED ABOUT 0.5 MILE SOUTHEAST OF MARSHFIELD, ON TOP OF A WOODED
POINT, KNOWN AS BUNKER HILL, BETWEEN COALBAND AND ISTHMUS
SLOUGHS. THE STATION (A LOOKOUT TOWER) IS AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF
THE COOS FIRE PATROL.
TO REACH FROM MARSHFIELD, DRIVE SOUTH ON U.S. HIGHWAY 101 ACROSS
COALBANK SLOUGH BRIDGE, TURN RIGHT, SOUTH, AND FOLLOW UP ROAD TO
THE COOS FIRE PATROL HEADQUARTERS.
STATION MARK AND SIGNAL IS CENTER OF ROOF OF THE WOODEN LOOKOUT
TOWER.
STATION RECOVERY (1965)
RECOVERY NOTE BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1965 (HJS)
THIS TOWER WAS TORN DOWN DURING OCTOBER OF 1965. THE STATION HAS
BEEN DESTROYED.
STATION RECOVERY (2004)
RECOVERY NOTE BY US POWER SQUADRON 2004 (AES)
TOWER WAS TORN DOWN IN 1965 DESTROYING THE STATION. A NEW STEEL TOWER
HAS BEEN BUILT ABOUT 80 YARDS TO THE SOUTH.
DESCRIBED BY US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 1942
LOCATED ABOUT 0.5 MILE SOUTHEAST OF MARSHFIELD, ON TOP OF A WOODED
POINT, KNOWN AS BUNKER HILL, BETWEEN COALBAND AND ISTHMUS
SLOUGHS. THE STATION (A LOOKOUT TOWER) IS AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF
THE COOS FIRE PATROL.
TO REACH FROM MARSHFIELD, DRIVE SOUTH ON U.S. HIGHWAY 101 ACROSS
COALBANK SLOUGH BRIDGE, TURN RIGHT, SOUTH, AND FOLLOW UP ROAD TO
THE COOS FIRE PATROL HEADQUARTERS.
STATION MARK AND SIGNAL IS CENTER OF ROOF OF THE WOODEN LOOKOUT
TOWER.
STATION RECOVERY (1965)
RECOVERY NOTE BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1965 (HJS)
THIS TOWER WAS TORN DOWN DURING OCTOBER OF 1965. THE STATION HAS
BEEN DESTROYED.
STATION RECOVERY (2004)
RECOVERY NOTE BY US POWER SQUADRON 2004 (AES)
TOWER WAS TORN DOWN IN 1965 DESTROYING THE STATION. A NEW STEEL TOWER
HAS BEEN BUILT ABOUT 80 YARDS TO THE SOUTH.