DOUGLAS COUNTY
HARNESS MOUNTAIN
Douglas FPA
23S-3W-31
23S-3W-31
August 17, 1937: "An emergency telephone line from Harness burn across Hinkle Creek to the Brink house on the Pringle place has been installed, with John Wooley, Fire Warden in charge." (News-Review)
1948: "Needs: A new lookout should be established on Harness Mtn in sec 31, T23S R3W. This should be a cooperative lookout between Eastern Lane and this association." (Douglas FPA - Oregon Department of Forestry Annual Report - 1948)
1949: "The lookout on Harness Mountain should be finished before fire season. The tower and house were purchased and the concrete footings poured last fall. (1949) Cost $800.00." "New tower for Harness Mtn Labor is for falling timber and concrete footings. Labor $500.00 Materials $1814.00." (Douglas FPA - Oregon Department of Forestry Annual Report - 1949)
February 1, 1950: "Recommendations call for completion before the fire season of a lookout on Harness mountain for which the tower and house were purchased and the concrete footings poured last fall." (The News-Review)
1950: "Harness Mountain Lookout construction $700.00 labor, $300.00 materials, total $1000.00." (Douglas FPA - Oregon Department of Forestry Annual Report - 1950)
October 12, 1962: The lookout was severely damage by the strong winds of the famed Columbus Day storm that swept through the western states that afternoon.
June 13, 1955: "Miss Minta King of Klamath Falls left Thursday for Harness Mountain, east of Sutherlin, where she will be employed as lookout by the Douglas Forest Protective Assn. for the summer." (The News-Review)
1963: The lookout structure destroyed in the Columbus Day storm, when rebuilt, was covered by insurance. "The replacement cost was $2,646.00 for material and $1,883.00 for labor. A new type of roof was designed by our personnel. So far it has proved very satisfactory. It is a flat roof with tar and gravel. This should eliminate maintenance costs considerably." (Douglas FPA Annual Report)
1963: A new 51'9" laminated timber tower with a 14'3" x 14'3" flat roof lookout cab was constructed to replace the old tower that was destroyed the preceding winter.
April 2017: Citing safety issues, the Weyerhaeuser Company removed the tower.
STATION DESCRIPTION
DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1953 (CTH)
THE STATION IS LOCATED ON THE EASTERN AND HIGHEST POINT OF HARNESS
MTN. IT IS CONSTRUCTED OF WOOD AND IS APPROXIMATELY 70 FEET
HIGH. THE CROWS NEST IS ABOUT 12 FEET SQUARE AND IS ALSO USED AS
LIVING QUARTERS. THERE IS A STAIRWAY IN THE CENTER OF THE
STRUCTURE. THE POINT OBSERVED ON WAS THE APEX OF THE ROOF. A
TRAVERSE CONNECTION WAS MADE TO TRIANGULATION STATION HARNESS
AND THE DISTANCE WAS FOUND TO BE 48.13 FEET, 14.672 METERS.