LANE COUNTY
LITTLE COWHORN MOUNTAIN
Willamette National Forest
September 6, 1919: "Some men have been retained for trail work, which will now be rushed. Fourteen on the Little Cow Horn trail. The Little Cow Horn Trail work is considered most important, as it is intended to make Cow Horn mountain, in the northwest corner of the forest, a lookout station next year." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
July 28, 1920: "H.E. Vincent, deputy supervisor for the Cascade national forest, went to Fall Creek yesterday to investigate Clark's Butte and Little Cowhorn mountain, to attend to the making of a 'seen' map of the area which can be seen from the lookouts there. This map will enable the supervisors to know how much land each lookout can see, and it will aid in finding and locating fires." (Morning Register)
May 18, 1921: "N.F. Macduff, supervisor of the Cascade National forest, who returned yesterday morning from up the Willamette, says he made a trip over the new trail from the Big Fall Creek ranger station to the top of Little Cow Horn mountain which has been designated as a lookout station. He says there is a grand view from the top of the mountain, points on the McKenzie river over the divide and many points around Eugene being visible from the eminence. A telephone line is being built to the top of the mountain for use of the lookouts this summer." (Morning Register)
June 5, 1921: "Little Cow Horn has been added to the list of lookout stations this year and there will be 12 all told. A trail and telephone line were completed to the top of Little Cow Horn this week." (The Morning Oregonian)
April 18, 1922: "C. A. Logan of Fall Creek, lookout on Clarke Butte and Little Cowhorn mountain for the past several years is in Eugene to take the examination for Cascade lookout to be held today." (Morning Register)
March 7, 1923: "H.E. Vincent, assistant supervisor, and C.B. McFarland, ranger in the Cascade national forest, are getting out the last of the lumber for the lookout house to be built on top of Cowhorn mountain." (Morning Register)
March 13, 1923: "Five thousand feet of lumber, material for 23 windows, several thousand shingles and the necessary nails and other materials used in the construction of a forest service lookout house soon will be carried on horseback ten miles to the top of Cow Horn mountain above Fall creek.
Two truck loads of the material have been taken from the forest warehouse in Eugene, where the house was fashioned by the employes of the service and the work of transporting it over mountain trails to the summit of Cow Horn will start at once or as soon as the snow goes off, according to officials in the office of the Cascade national forest.
Cow Horn mountain is the highest point in the Cascades in that section of the forest and commands a view of a vast area of timber. All summer long a lookout employed by the government will be stationed to watch for fires and by means of a telephone line the nearest ranger station, located at Reserve, will be notified at a moment's notice." (Morning Register)
June 16, 1923: "Little Cow Horn mountain, requiring about a 300-foot job of portage by man, block and tackle, is to be put up late this month if possible. The standard lookout house is made of timbers cut 12 feet long and smaller to be packed in on horses, the building being 12 x 12 feet square, with four foot square glassed-in cupola atop, to house maps, fire finder and telephone. From 60 to 100 pack horse loads are required to take in material for a house, weighing six tons." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
June 22, 1923: "On Wednesday B. Vaughn and W, Larimer hauled the lumber for the lookout on Cow Horn mountain. They took it to the ranger station on Big Fall. From there it will be packed in with mules---fourteen of which are being brought over from the McKenzie." (Morning Register)
June 23, 1923: "William Larmer and Bert Vaughn of Fall Creek are hauling the lumber for the new lookout house above the ranger station on Big Fall creek." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
June 27, 1923: "Arrangements are being made here for the surveying crew of the United States Geological survey to map the Diamond peak quadrangle this summer, camping equipment for two or three camps of several men each having been purchased here today. The 10 pack animals are now being broken in by C. P. McFarland and D. Wright of the Cascade national forest service in taking materials to the top of Little Cow Horn mountain in the Fall creek section for a lookout house to be constructed there." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
June 28, 1923: "C.B. McFarland and Dee Wright packer are busy packing the lumber to the top of Little Cow Horn mountain for the lookout house to be erected there. Wright has 20 mules and expected to finish the job in three trips." (Morning Register)
August 7, 1923: "The supervisor also states that the new lookout house at Cow Horn mountain has been completed. The material for the house had to be taken up a trail with a 45 per cent grade for one-quarter mile and for the last 150 feet the lumber had to be hauled by cable." (Morning Register)
August 7, 1923: "The lookout on Little Cow Horn Mountain is almost completed, _ _ _ _ lacking only paint and a few _ _ _ of finishing, reports Nelson MacDuff, supervisor of the Cascade national forest, who says the transportation of materials for construction was _ _ _ feat of packing and hauling.
The last quarter mile at the _ _ _P _ is a 45 per cent grade and _ _ _ _ pack animals with the threat of _ _ing them over backwards. The _ _ _ below the summit was so steep the timbers had to be raised by 'snaking' them up by hand." (The Eugene Daily Guard) (parts of the story are lost in the page fold.)
July 18, 1924: "C.A. Logan went up to Cow Horn mountain Tuesday to take up his position as fire lookout." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
1960: "The old cupola type lookout on Little Cowhorn Mountain, which was constructed during the 1920's, was replaced with a building of modern design which will be ready for occupancy in 1961." (Annual Report, 1960)
1961: "A new lookout was completed this summer on Little Cowhorn Mountain in the Lowell district. The ground house replaced one of the two oldest lookouts existing on the forest." (Annual Report, 1961)
2004: The lookout received a major refurbishing which included a new roof, new flooring, furniture and door.
STATION DESCRIPTION
DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1953 (CTH)
THE STATION IS A WOODEN LOOKOUT HOUSE BELONGING TO THE U.S. FOREST
SERVICE THAT IS LOCATED ABOUT 8 MILES SOUTHEAST OF VIDA ON THE TOP
OF A PROMINENT PEAK CALLED LITTLE COWHORN.
THE HOUSE IS APPROXIMATELY 15 FEET SQUARE AND 20 FEET HIGH.
A TRAVERSE CONNECTION WAS MADE FROM TRIANGULATION STATION LITTLE
COWHORN. THE DISTANCE IS 18.86 FEET OR 5.750 METERS.