IRON MOUNTAIN
Curry County - Siskiyou National Forest - 33S-12W-33
1924: A new idea in lookout construction, instead of packing in ready-cut lumber, it was whip-sawed near the lookout for standard cabins at a cost of $70.00 per M. Lumber whip sawn and stored on Iron Mountain for a D-5 type cabin.
April 1924: "Leo Frye and Frank Thornton have a good start on the job of whipsawing the lumber for Iron Mountain lookout. They contracted to saw the lumber, 44533 board feet at $70.00 per hundred. The small sizes used for shutters etc. make it a poor bargain they find." (The Siskiyou Bulletin)
August 1925: "The Iron Mountain Lookout house is progressing, slow but sure we hope. We were handicapped in putting the lumber on top because every one seemed afraid of the job. Both Pettinger and Magill turned it down after looking it over. Finally Bill Thornton and W.H. Stone put it up. It turned out to be just about half the job they thought it would be, and they were all wishing they had contracted it." (The Siskiyou Bulletin)
July 1925: "As our only carpenter, Henry Harrison, is engaged in constructing the Iron Mountain Lookout house." (The Siskiyou Bulletin)
August 6, 1925: "Charles Pettinger of Agness has been packing lumber to Iron Mountain, which is to be used in building a 'look-out.'" (Curry County Reporter)
1925: The D-5 type lookout house completed during the summer
May 1929: "Our lookout at Iron Mountain went on duty the 16th, and has reported one fire outside. A few days the drift smoke was so thick that the visibility was less than a mile. A worse condition than usually exists in August." (The Siskiyou Bulletin)
July 1930: "Iron Mountain is to receive a new coat of paint." (The Siskiyou Bulletin)
August 1930: "While on Iron Mountain recently Mr. George Valentine, the lookout man, called my attention to a clump of weeping spruce growing near the summit of the mountain. These are the first weeping spruce as far as I know that have been discovered growing north of Rogue River." (The Siskiyou Bulletin)
September 1930: "The trail to the Iron Mountain Lookout has been improved this summer. The tread has been slipping down hill making travel slow and difficult. We have three miles of this trail graded back to standard and will do more the coming season. The crew of two men working this trail finished for the year the last of September." (The Siskiyou Bulletin)
June 10, 1933: "James Cook of Illahe, who has been lookout in the Siskiyou National forest at Iron mountain station, is attending the service school at the Oregon Caves." (The Coos Bay Times)
July/August 1933: "In checking the orientation of our fire finders with the Coast and Geodetic Survey triangulation data we found that Iron Mountain was off about 2000 feet from its actual location so it was necessary to tie the station in correctly and rebore our platting map to fit." (The Siskiyou Bulletin)
May 1940: "Chiefly needed for suppression in inaccessible country. Fire danger considered comparable to Bald Knob. Area served by this position is apparently in the fog belt." (Plans, Guard Placement, Siskiyou National Forest)
1941: The lookout station staffed 84 days, reported to the Agness Ranger Station by way of forest line to West Coast Telephone Company.
October 11, 1943: "Seventeen year-old Orris Wood has been commended by Siskiyou forest officials for courageous service during her employment as an Iron Mountain lookout this summer.
She was cited for braving a fire in her lookout station to telephone headquarters of the blaze which might otherwise have started a forest fire.
Soon after she left the structure it toppled, blazing, over a 150-foot cliff." (Roseburg News-Review)
She was cited for braving a fire in her lookout station to telephone headquarters of the blaze which might otherwise have started a forest fire.
Soon after she left the structure it toppled, blazing, over a 150-foot cliff." (Roseburg News-Review)
1944: A new lookout building constructed.
Removed
STATION DESCRIPTION
DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1942 (JCS)
IRON MOUNTAIN LOOKOUT IS ON A ROCKY LEDGE ON THE SUMMIT OF IRON
MOUNTAIN AND ON THE SAME MOUNTAIN AS THE U.S.C. AND
G.S. TRIANGULATION STATION IRON 1942. LOOKOUT IS ABOUT 9 MILES,
AIR LINE, NW OF AGNESS, 27 MILES S OF MYRTLE POINT, 9 MILES SW
OF CHINA FLATS, AND IS ABOUT 23 MILES NW OF GOLD BEACH.
IRON MOUNTAIN LOOKOUT IS A 20-FOOT SQUARE STRUCTURE, SET FLUSH
ON THE GROUND, WITH GLASS WINDOWS ALL AROUND, ABOUT 17 FEET
HIGH, THE ROOF SHAPED TO A POINT AND A LIGHTNING ROD AFFIXED
TO THE APEX, AND IS PAINTED A GREY COLOR.