WOLF MOUNTAIN
Wheeler County - Ochoco National Forest - 14S-25E-28
July 22, 1920: "Joe Chambreaux, a lad of eighteen from Portland, Oregon, has taken up his duties as primary lookout on Wolf Mountain which is one of the most isolated points on the Ochoco Forest. He will be connected by telephone and he will be at home to his friends perched in the top of a tree on a crudely constructed platform built for the specific purpose of supporting him." (Crook County Journal)
January 6, 1921: "James Chambreaux, who was located om Wolf Mountain as a lookout man for the forest service last season, was fined $50.00 in Justice Bowman's court on Monday, for having unlawfully killed a deer last summer before season opened.
Mr. Chambreaux, whose home is in Portland, is a lad about 18 or 19 years old, and according to forest officials did good work for the forest service while occupying the lookout point, which is one of the most isolated on the Ochoco National Forest. Probably because of his youthfulness and the fact that it was his first experience at camping in such a lonely place, he felt that to kill a deer for camp meat was only what the ordinary man would do if placed in similar circumstances.
However, the forest service sees these matters from a different angle, and after Chambreaux had finished his work and gone back to Portland, Ranger Congleton began stories that led him to believe that Chambreaux had failed to live on al exclusive bacon and beans diet. Upon careful investigation a net of evidence was accumulated which, when presented, brought forth an admission. This accomplished, it was only necessary to recommend an appropriate fine, which in the opinion of the forest service, was $50.00 and costs. The forest service took the position that even though some consideration should ordinarily be given to a minor and to the remoteness of this place where the violation was committed, yet the proper effect on possible future violators is to be gained, the fine should be heavy, to make a man think at least twice before taking a chance." (Crook County Journal)
July 14, 1921: "Ranger C.S. Congleton, with Ed Gerow and Leon Vial helping, is constructing a lookout tower on top of Wolfe Mountain, which is about 25 miles northeast of Paulina. When the tower is finished it will be occupied by Mr. Vial during the fire season." (Central Oregonian)
November 14, 1921: "Report of the forest service on activities of the year in Ochoco national forest show that 66 1/2 miles of telephone line has been constructed, the work being done by the regular ranger force. An addition has been built to the Beaver ranger station and many other improvements have been made. Ranger Blake has made a start toward improving Wildwood forest camp, on the Prineville-Mitchell road. Ranger Congleton constructed a new lookout tower on Wolf mountain. Many improvements have been added to the various stations and to the roads, most of which may be traveled by automobiles now." (The Oregon Daily Journal)
June 22, 1922: "The last lap of telephone line connecting Prineville with Wolf Mountain and Spanish Peak has been completed." (Central Oregonian)
May 10, 1923: "Spur telephone lines will be constructed out from the main camp at Wolf Mountain lookout point." (Central Oregonian)
July 5, 1923: "The telephone line between Rager ranger station to Wolf Mountain, 11 miles long, is being rebuilt by Ranger C.S. Congleton." (Central Oregonian)
May 26, 1927: "Construction of a new no. 9 wire telephone line from Rager ranger station directly north to the Wolf Mountain lookout station." (Central Oregonian)
August 1927: "Glen Kelsay thinks if he had just cut the rest of the timber on Wolf Mountain he could see as far north as Derr Meadows. If we don't watch him he is liable to get out and do it some of these days." (The Ochoconian)
August 1927: "The lightning cage on Wolf Mt. tower is almost finished. All the high work is done; that sure is no easy job for amateur steeple-jacks." (The Ochoconian)
1927: This lookout reported one fire for the fire season.
June 1928: "Glen Kelsay has taken up duties on Wolf Mountain lookout. Glen is not alone this year, for with his staying qualities and convincing arguments he won the fair hand of Miss Laura Baxter, a Wheeler County girl of Spray. They were married June 2 and on June 3 came to Wolf Mountain. We wish them the best of luck." (The Ochoconian)
August 9, 1928: "Glen Kelsay, lookout-fireman on Wolf mountain, has been making a number of improvements about his station and has completed three gates for the pasture fence, done a lot of painting and generally fixed up the premises until Wolf mountain will be soon be a place to be sought by men who appreciate comfortable and well kept quarters. Not more than two or three years ago Wolf Mountain was one of the most isolated and dreaded lookout points on the forest." (Central Oregonian)
January 1929: An entry from Glen Kelsay's diary:
"2:30 P.M.: A dirty, wicked lightning and rain storm coming from south. One flash of lightning right after another. The flashes are jagged and wicked, of the real old destructive saw-tooth variety. The 'old man and his tater wagon' have innumerable roundtrip tickets between points of Wolf Mountain, Maupin Butte and the Sunflower Flats, with Wolf Mountain as headquarters. The old boy is certainly spreading his onions while the rain is lashing us fore and aft, with broad-side from south and another one hitting us from stem to stern from the southeast. The lightning is doing the Charleston to ragtime tune in the south." (The Ochoconian)
1929: The lookout staffed until after the first of November.
October 1930: "Sam Warg, Wolf Mountain lookout, is now using his trained eyesight on smoothing roads, operating a grader in fall maintenance. We are using a No. 1 Russell grader and Fordson tractor on road maintenance." (The Ochoconian)
December 1931: "An additional lookout point was developed on East Wolf Mountain. Russell Chipman was stationed on this point and did an excellent job constructing a crow's nest and ladder in an eighty foot fir tree." (The Ochoconian)
August 19, 1937: "Mr. and Mrs. George Gray and son, Corval, recently spent two days visiting in Prineville. Gray is forest lookout on Wolf Mountain." (Central Oregonian)
August 20, 1942: "Wreckage of a huge army bomber which had been missing since February 3 was found last Thursday morning, August 13, on Wolf Mountain, about 75 miles east of Prineville. The bodies of four men were found in and near the wreckage.
The wreckage was found Thursday morning by L.A. Humphries, a sheepherder who was following a trail over the summit of Wolf Mountain looking for some lost sheep. He immediately reported the find at the Wolf Mountain forest lookout station, about half mile away. On duty at the lookout were Joe Mason, Johnny Folks and Harold Cordes. They notified Supervisor Henry C. Hulett of the Ochoco national forest. A guard was placed at the wreck and within a few minutes after word had reached Prineville guards were ordered on duty on all roads leading into the area." (Central Oregonian)
1947: A 107-foot treated timber tower with an L-4 cab constructed.
1952: "Wolf Mountain Lookout - This tower and house were in excellent condition except there appeared to be too much sag in the cables. Recommend adherence to Cable Sag Tables for Lookouts on this and all towers." (General Integrating Inspection 1952 - July 14 to 26, 1952)
October 28, 1984: "At East Wolf, there was a telephone line up the tree, so you could use the phone. I don't know whether that tree is still standing, or not... but it leans just a little bit, and you'd think the ladder would go right up the back side, but it goes up here and you've got to really hand on to climb it. And Barry's were up there. And their boy was less than three years old. They left him in the car... Barry and his wife did... and they both went up the tower. The tower had a floor around the top of the tree. And right on top of this was the fire finder. And then there was a two by four 'round it, to keep from falling out. And it was double around it. But they'd been up there quite a little while, and they heard a voice. They heard that boy of theirs, "Daddy, let me in." You can imagine how they felt when they realized their boy was hanging onto the ladder rungs. And they were wooden rungs. And here it was underneath, instead of sloping the other way. Barry crawled down; opened the lid; saw the boy; and went down to him. When he got to him, he stuck that boy to him to get him in. When they took him down, they put him into a backpack and packed him down. Florence said she never went into the tower again. That gave her a scare... enough that she wouldn't do it." (An interview with Fred Houston, Sr, on file at the Bowman Museum, Prineville)
2002: In mid-July the lookout was evacuated and the cab was wrapped in fire-resistant foil and drip lines sent up the legs of the tower. The old garage was bulldozed.
DESIGNATION - WOLF MTN
PID - QC0829
STATE/COUNTY- OR/WHEELER
COUNTRY - US
USGS QUAD - WOLF MOUNTAIN (1992)
STATION DESCRIPTION
DESCRIBED BY US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 1963
LOCATED ABOUT 31 MI SE. OF MITCHELL, 13 MI SW. OF DAYVILLE. ON
SUMMIT OF SOUTHEAST PART OF WOLF MTN., AT SITE OF WOLF MTN. LOT.
TO REACH FROM MITCHELL POST OFFICE, DRIVE 13 MI E. ON HWY. 26. GO
7.3 MI S. ON FOREST SERVICE RD. 1240 TO JCT. TURN LEFT ON FOREST
SERVICE RD. 127 AND GO 8.5 MI TO RD. JCT. TURN LEFT ON FOREST
SERVICE RD. AND GO 7.7 MI TO RD. JCT. TURN LEFT ON FOREST
SERVICE RD. 1328 AND GO 0.3 MI TO RD. JCT. TURN RIGHT ON FOREST
SERVICE RD. 1442 AND GO 2.6 MI TO TOP OF MOUNTAIN. TABLET IS
UNDER CENTER OF WOLF MTN. LOT.