BUTLER MOUNTAIN
Curry County - Siskiyou National Forest - 32S-10W-29
April 1916: "I might mention that the Supervisor has planned a little jaunt to the top of Mt. Butler for the stated purpose of sizing it up for a lookout, But I surmise that he believes I need the exercise. We will have to ford Elk River 'by hand' and if he says 'the waters fine' I'll beat down and cross the bridge. Ranger Curl, Port Orford Ranger District" (The Siskiyou Bulletin)
August 27, 1930: "Mr. Haefner has visited every lookout station in the Oregon section of the Siskiyou national forest. He reports that a new lookout station is to be built on Mt. Butler, which will survey the water-sheds of the Sixes river and Elk river. In order to build the lookout it was necessary to widen the mountain-top by blasting. The station is to be completed in the fall." (Grants Pass Daily Courier)
September 1930: "A trail to the top of Mt. Butler. a new lookout building, and a telephone line built to within 3 miles of Mt. Butler has been constructed this year. It is a job well done." (The Siskiyou Bulletin)
November 14, 1930: " 'As the crow flies' is never part of a mountaineer's directions to a stranger asking 'how to get there.' Instead, the mountaineer says, 'Follow that ridge thar by the crick....'
Ranger A.W. Borigo and Dick Shoemaker proved that when they built a telephone line from Johnson mountain to Mt. Butler in the northwest portion of the Siskiyou national forest, according to Supervisor J.H. Billingslea Thursday. The line was completed this week, Mr. Billingslea reported.
'As the crow flies,' Johnson mountain is nine and a half miles from Mt. Butler, where a new lookout station was built this summer, Mr. Billingslea said. But, when the telephone line completed, Ranger Borigo and Mr. Shoemaker found that they had been forced to use 23 miles of wire, counting 'tie wires' and splices, for 19 1/2 miles of telephone line. 'That's how rough part of the forest country is,' Mr. Billingslea remarked." (Grants Pass Daily Courier)
July 1931: "Mt. Butler lookout is now ready for occupancy of a lookout. We accomplished everything we set out to do on this trip even though it was very wet and miserable one. Ask anyone who has ever been to Mt. Butler." (The Siskiyou Bulletin)
June 30, 1933: "Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Brady started for Mt. Butler Wednesday morning where they will spend the summer on the lookout. Leo Frey took the government pack string and packed them in. The men were working the trail and telephone line as they went in." (The Coquille Valley Sentinel)
July 9, 1936: "Leo Frye packed Mr. and Mrs. Howard Slonecker in to Butler's Lookout on Tuesday evening. Mr. and Mrs. Slonecker, both students at Oregon State college, were recently married and will spend the summer at the lookout." (The Coos Bay Times)
July 29, 1937: "Terry O'Brien and Curtis Townsend left last Thursday with Lyle Nestle for Butler mountain. Nestle will have charge of the lookout station there for the summer. The boys returned Monday night of this week." (Myrtle Point Herald)
June 23, 1938: "Ray Jones, who is stationed near Butler mountain lookout station, spent the past weekend at his home here (Powers)." (The Coos Bay Times)
May 1940: "Past fire danger records show very clearly that this point has not been used until the middle or even later in July, and is not needed after the fall rains have started. The station is in a fog belt, as isclearly portrayed by the analysis of the records. On 41% of all days manned in July and August, 1937-1939 inc.m the fuel moisture has been 11% or higher, and on 26% of this period the fuels have been 13% or higher. Very probably the usefulness of this position for detection is hobbled during a large proportion of all days by fog." (Plans, Guard Placement, Siskiyou National Forest)
September 12, 1940: "Donald Slonecker has replaced Dean Bundy on Butler mountain for the remainder of the season." (The Coos Bay Times)
1941: The lookout station staffed 65 days, reported to the Powers Ranger Station by way of West Coast Telephone.
Removed