DOUGLAS COUNTY
BATEMAN
Umpqua National Forest > Douglas County Fire Patrol
25S-8W-5
25S-8W-5
1932: "Recommendations: A lookout house should be built at Bateman Butte lookout." (Douglas FPA - Oregon Department of Forestry Annual Report - 1932)
February 19, 1934: "The Wolf Creek project is completed for 11 of the 15 mile stretch to Bateman lookout. Work on it was stopped due to the heavy rainfall encountered during autumn." (Roseburg News-Review)
August 1, 1934: "Bateman lookout: Ground house set on rocks; job done." (To Regional Forester from Forest Supervisor, Umpqua -CCC-)
July 24, 1936: "Mrs. Forrest Emmitt hiked the eleven miles from Bateman lookout to her home in Umpqua Monday in four hour's time, Mr. Emmitt is stationed at the lookout this season." (Roseburg News-Review)
July 21, 1937: "Mrs. Forrest Emmitt and son Charles have returned to their home here after visiting Mr. Emmitt at the Bateman lookout station." (The News-Review)
September 9, 1937: "Mrs. Forrest Emmitt returned to her home at Green Tuesday after packing supplies to Mr. Emmitt at Bateman lookout. Mrs. Emmitt makes the twelve-mile trip every two weeks with a pack mule." (Roseburg News-Review)
August 30, 1938: "Forrest Emmitt of the Douglas County Fire Protective association was successful in killing a large cougar, which ventured within a few yards of the Bateman butte lookout station, where Mr. Emmitt is stationed. The animal was discovered by a small fox terrier, which gave chase after the cougar had been wounded." (Roseburg News-Review)
December 16, 1939: "A turkey, flailing its wings in convulsive death throes, struck the hand of Forrest Emmitt, 39, and inflicted a knife wound from which the Tyee district farmer died last night.
Emmitt, employed in killing turkeys on the Hiram Powell place at Tyee, had just stuck a large turkey tom, Deputy Sheriff Clifford Thornton reported here today. One of the turkey's threshing wings apparently struck Emmitt's hand and drove the keen blade of the sticking knife into the man's body in the region of the heart.
It was believed that the knife blade severed a blood vessel near the heart causing death from internal hemorrhage.
Mr. Emmitt was a native of Douglas county, having been born June 7, 1900, on the Emmitt farm in the Tyee district. He was engaged in farming throughout the major part of his active life, and in recent years has been employed in forest lookout service during fire season." (Roseburg News-Review)
Activated: May 10, 1943; Deactivated: October 16, 1943. Roseburg Filter Center.
March 26, 1943: "Reference is made to your letter of March 22 requesting information on Bateman Lookout in Douglas County.
This station is connected by twenty miles of grounded telephone line to the Baughman Lookout line leading to Roseburg. Fourteen miles of this is on a trail and six miles on road. The post is reached by five miles of trail, necessitating packing material and supplies that distance.
Improvements consist of a 14x14 lookout house. Additional improvements needed would be a 12x16 building and woodshed." (Letter from the State Forester to James Frankland, USFS, Asst. Regional Forester)
This station is connected by twenty miles of grounded telephone line to the Baughman Lookout line leading to Roseburg. Fourteen miles of this is on a trail and six miles on road. The post is reached by five miles of trail, necessitating packing material and supplies that distance.
Improvements consist of a 14x14 lookout house. Additional improvements needed would be a 12x16 building and woodshed." (Letter from the State Forester to James Frankland, USFS, Asst. Regional Forester)
April 7, 1943: "It is requested that necessary arrangements for the establishment of an observation post at Bateman Lookout be made with the Regional Forester of Region 6.
It is understood that this observation post will be operated by the State of Oregon Forestry Department and that they have suitable UHF radio equipment available for the operation of this post." (From a letter from the State Forester to the Liaison Officer to the IV Fighter Command)
May 1, 1943: "Since Warden Southwick is prepared to activate Bateman within about five days, notice, Captain Morgan has approved the activation of this post effective 8:00 a.m. May 10." (From a memo to the State Forester from James Frankland, USFS Engineering)
September 20, 1943: "Charles O'Neill and son, Daniel, of the Bateman lookout spent Saturday in this city attending to business. Mr. O'Neill reports that his son, who is only two years and 10 months old, can identify five different types of airplanes." (Roseburg News-Review)
October 16, 1943: The Army de-activated this AWS station effective 1800 hours.
July 13, 1950: "Peggy Meacham, who has been transferred from Mt. Scott lookout to Bateman lookout, is home at present. The road to Bateman lookout is impassable because of rains." (News-Review)
1958: The radio number for this lookout, 571. Telephone connections via Pacific Telephone to Roseburg Headquarters.
June 29, 1960: "Miss Leta Petheram left last week for her post at Bateman Lookout for the summer. She attended the three day forestry school held at Little River Camp earlier in the week." (The News-Review)
1965: The lookout not staffed this year and discontinued after fire season. The lookout house dismantled.
DESIGNATION - BATEMAN LOOKOUT TOWER
PID - PC1041
STATE/COUNTY- OR/DOUGLAS
COUNTRY - US
USGS QUAD - KELLY BUTTE (1990)
STATION RECOVERY (1953)
RECOVERY NOTE BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1953 (CTH)
THE STATION IS A WOODEN LOOKOUT HOUSE BELONGING TO THE DOUGLAS
COUNTY FIRE PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION. IT IS LOCATED ABOUT 22 MILES
NORTHWEST OF ROSEBURG ON THE EAST EDGE OF BATEMAN BUTTE.
THE HOUSE IS ABOUT 15 FEET SQUARE AND 12 FEET HIGH.