DOUGLAS COUNTY
YELLOW BUTTE
Douglas County Fire Patrol
23S-6W-25
23S-6W-25
Below: 1934: Photos of CCC erecting Yellow Butte tower and CCC boys in camp - Ervin J. Draznik photos, Courtesy: Bill Draznik
April 1934: "The CCC boys just completed 27 miles of telephone line to Yellow Butte and Bell Mountain." (Forest Log)
August 1, 1934: "Yellow Butte lookout: House unbuilt, but should be set on 50 foot tower of native logs, since this lookout is six miles from end of road and is, according to Mr. Southwick, impractical to attempt to pack or drag the ready cut tarred material to this point." (To Regional Forester from Forest Supervisor, Umpqua -CCC-)
October 10, 1935: "Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Maupin, of Kellogg, who have been at Yellow Butte lookout all summer, spent yesterday in this city attending to business and visiting fiends." (Roseburg News-Review)
July 23, 1937: "Cassius Rychard, warden at the Yellow Butte station on Bear creek, killed a rattlesnake this week, which had six rattles." (The News-Review)
September 26, 1937: "Mrs. Cassius Rychard has returned from Yellow Butte fire station where she has been employed. Her husband is employed at the same station." (The Eugene Guard)
1938: The early log cabin abandoned.
October 12, 1944: "Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Gaedecke have returned to their home here after spending the summer at Yellow Butte lookout where they were employed." (Roseburg News-Review)
June 22, 1947: "M.I. Douglas, a student at Oregon State college, is visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. L.I. Douglas of 263 Berrydale street for a few days prior to joining the forest service as warden at Yellow Butte, Ore. His wife is visiting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. H.B. Hines of Vancouver, B.C. Later she will join her husband and will be lookout at Yellow Butte." (Medford Mail Tribune)
July 18, 1949: "The Douglas Forest Protective association announced today that work has been completed on the Yellow Butte lookout tower, located eight miles southwest of Yoncalla.
Upon inspection last year it was decided the 50-foot pole tower was unsafe for further use. The lookout house itself was found to be in good condition, so it was decided that a new tower would be raised beneath the house.
The new tower, a Chemonite laminated pressure treated type, was 3 feet higher than the old tower, and thus necessitated raising the house itself about 5 feet. The job was further complicated by the strong prevailing winds encountered at that altitude, which required extreme caution by the men working on the tower to avoid accidents.
The lookout, manned by Mr. and Mrs. William Flink, is accessible by road in contrast to when it was built in 1932 by the CCC, when everything had to be packed in by mules." (The News-Review)
1949: "Labor for new tower at Yellow Butte was $700.00. Tower purchased in 1948." (Douglas FPA - Oregon Department of Forestry Annual Report - 1949)
August 4, 1956: "Miss Nadine Phillips was pleasantly surprised last week when a group of friends and relatives gathered at the Yellow Butte Lookout to help her celebrate her birthday." (The News-Review)
1961: "One of the new type roofs was installed on Yellow Butte Lookout at a cost of $303.65." (Douglas FPA - Oregon Department of Forestry Annual Report - 1961)
1963: "Some time has been spent clearing brush and trees away from Yellow Butte Lookout. This will help the visibility of the lookout for fire detection." (1963 Seasonal Report of the District Warden)
2015: During the spring the tower removed and replaced with a camera detection system.
STATION DESCRIPTION
DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1953 (CTH)
IT IS LOCATED ON THE HIGHEST POINT OF YELLOW BUTTE. IT IS A
WOODEN STRUCTURE APPROXIMATELY 75 FEET HIGH. THERE IS A CABIN
AT THE APEX OF THE STRUCTURE WITH WINDOWS ON ALL SIDES. THE
POINT OBSERVED WAS A REFERENCE MARK LOCATED IN THE CENTER OF THE
BASE OF THE STRUCTURE. IT IS LOCATED BY A TRAVERSE CONNECTION TO
TRIANGULATION STATION YELLOW 1904 AND THE DISTANCE WAS FOUND TO
BE 4.0 FEET (1.22 METERS).