LANE COUNTY
CASTLE ROCK
Willamette National Forest
16S-5E-28
16S-5E-28
August 15, 1911: "A new system, that has been tried out this year by Supervisor Seitz of the Cascade government reserve, is largely responsible for the quick control of the fires that have broken out. This is an arrangement of special lookouts and what he calls his 'Triangulation' system. Stationed on five of the highest peaks in the reserve are his five lookouts. Each of these are in addition to the regular rangers. Each of these has an instrument and a map of the reserve. When one sees a fire he calls up one of the other guards whom he thinks can see the same fire, and by means of the telephone and the observations of each, the exact location of the fire can be learned.
One particular instance this year in which this was tried out was a fire started in the Santiam reserve. It was seen by Archie Shough, on the Deer Butte look-out, and by Percy Collier, a Eugene boy, on the Castle Rock look-out, both of which are on the upper McKenzie river. By their observations the exact location of the fire was reported in Eugene at the supervisor's office within three hours, and word telegraphed to the supervisor of the Santiam reserve, who immediately sent in a crew of men and put the fire under control before it spread." (The Eugene Guard)
One particular instance this year in which this was tried out was a fire started in the Santiam reserve. It was seen by Archie Shough, on the Deer Butte look-out, and by Percy Collier, a Eugene boy, on the Castle Rock look-out, both of which are on the upper McKenzie river. By their observations the exact location of the fire was reported in Eugene at the supervisor's office within three hours, and word telegraphed to the supervisor of the Santiam reserve, who immediately sent in a crew of men and put the fire under control before it spread." (The Eugene Guard)
March 1, 1914: "Forest Rangers Smith Taylor, G.J. Landis and Craige will begin Monday running a 15-mile telephone line from the Eugene-Sisters Government phone line at McKenzie bridge southward to the Hardy cabin and Castle Rock lookout station, according to announcement made today by Clyde R. Seitz, supervisor of the Cascade National forest.
Announcement also is made that the Government telephones no longer will be for free use of all, as in the past, but will become toll lines of the Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Company, with whose boards they are already connected." (The Morning Oregonian)
August 13, 1915: "Lookout duty in the Cascade national forest, on the upper McKenzie, began Monday when a guard was stationed on Castle Rock. As the timber becomes dryer more guards will be stationed for lookout duty. Up to this time this year these men have been able to devote their time to the building and maintenance of phone lines and trails." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
August 22, 1915: "With the coming of the dry season the forest guards have been sent to their respective lookouts. Preston Cobbs is stationed at Castle Rock." (Morning Register)
July 22, 1918: "The Avenue creek fire Saturday was discovered by Miss Laurell Canning, whose home is at Monmouth, and who is a student at the University of Oregon. She has been stationed at a lookout on Castle Rock. She made a reading and reported the angle of the fire from her post." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
September 6, 1918: "Miss Canning, who is a senior at the University of Oregon, is stationed on Castle Rock, in the Cascade National Forest. Her home is at Monmouth, Or. Castle Rock is southeast of Eugene, and the nearest ranger station is at McKenzie bridge. Accompanied only by her dog, Jack, Miss Canning watches over the safety of her vast kingdom of forest." (The Monmouth Herald)
September 20, 1918: "Miss Laurel Canning has completed her work as lookout at McKenzie Bridge in the Cascades and is home waiting the start of school duties at Eugene." (The Monmouth Herald)
July 7, 1920: "Mrs. Rosie Baughman and her son, Harold, have gone to McKenzie Bridge. Mrs. Baughman will be stationed at the Castle Rock lookout as a fire guard." (Morning Register)
July 12, 1920: "H.E. Vincent, of the Cascade Forest office leaves today for the Castle Rock district for the purpose of making maps of the region preparatory to establishing lookout stations." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
August 24, 1920: "Some fast time has been made lately by the carrier pigeons which are being trained to report fires at the forest ranger's office at McKenzie river bridge. Miss Esther Taylor, daughter of Smith Taylor, forest ranger, is official pigeoneer. The pigeons made the distance from Castle Rock to the ranger's office, a distance of six and one-half miles, in four minutes and from Horse Pasture to the office, 12 miles, in 15 minutes. No opportunity has been given yet for using the birds to report fires." (Morning Register)
September 15, 1920: "Mrs. L.A. Baughman, who was engaged as lookout at Castle Rock, has come in to place her son in school." (Morning Register)
September 15, 1921: "A large fire reported to be burning on the southwest slope on Mount Hagan near Blue River, was reported to the Cascade national forest this afternoon by Mrs. J. D. Baughman, lookout on Castle Rock." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
July 9, 1922: "Ethal Neal is occupying Castle Rock this season. Last summer Miss Neal was on Frissell point and she had many exciting experiences. One evening her dog was chased into camp by an immense cougar. Miss Neal has a 30-30 with her this year and if another cougar is unfortunate enough to pay her a visit, she expects to bring him down with her this fall." (Morning Register)
February 7, 1923: "The lumber is being cut for a lookout house of standard dimensions to be erected on top of Castle rock, six miles southwest of McKenzie Bridge on the Cascade national forest. This will be the fourth one on this forest." (Morning Register)
February 7, 1923: "C.B. McFarland, ranger in the Cascade national forest, was expected to arrive in the city yesterday afternoon and he and Smith L. Taylor, ranger in the same forest, will saw the lumber for the new lookout house to be erected this spring on top of Castle Rock, near McKenzie Bridge." (Morning Register)
February 14, 1923: "The snow storm has caused a delay in the reconstruction of the forest telephone line up the McKenzie river. Rangers Smith L. Taylor and C.B. McFarland who were engaged in rebuilding the line were compelled to quit on account of the deep snow. In the meantime Ranger Taylor and Roy Park are cutting lumber for a new lookout house to be built either on Castle Rock or on Little Cow Horn, on the divide between Fall creek and the McKenzie." (Morning Register)
March 23, 1923: "Some of the lumber for the new lookout house to be erected this summer on top of Castle Rock, near McKenzie Bridge, has arrived in Eugene and will be cut here and hauled to its destination." (Morning Register)
April 17, 1923: "Material for a lookout house on Castle Rock, in the McKenzie bridge section of the Cascades, is being hauled out and construction will get under way shortly. The house is built with all four sides of glass, so that the observer may 'spot' forest fires at any time in any direction. Twelve lookouts will be employed by the Cascade national forest again this year, according to H.E. Vincent, assistant supervisor." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
April 18, 1923: "Monday a truck load of material for the proposed lookout house on top of Castle Rock, five miles from McKenzie Bridge, left Eugene and will be transported to the top of the peak in the near future. The lumber is being sawed at the shops of the forest service here and will be transported to McKenzie Bridge by truck and to the top of the rock on horseback." (Morning Register)
June 19, 1923: "Smith L. Taylor, ranger in the Cascade national forest, left yesterday for McKenzie Bridge with another truck load of lumber for the Castle Rock lookout house." (Morning Register)
June 16, 1923: "Work of building the Castle Rock lookout house, of timbers fashioned during the past winter by rangers, is now under way, nearing completion." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
August 17, 1923: "The finest lookout house in the Cascade forest has just been completed on Castle Rock and Claude Robinson, ranger, is painting the place up and getting his furniture moved in, reports N.F. MacDuff, forest supervisor, who returned today from McKenzie bridge with A.L. Shough, truck driver for the forest. It required 60 packhorse loads to get the materials and fittings for the house up the eminence and Dee Wright, who had unbroken mules to do it with, experienced some difficulty." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
August 18, 1923: "The new lookout house on Castle Rock near McKenzie Bridge is being completed this week, according to Nelson F. MacDuff, supervisor of the Cascade national forest, who has returned from that section of the forest. Claud Robinson, the lookout at that point, is now painting the building and cleaning up around the premises.
Sixty pack horse loads of material and equipment were taken over the trail from McKenzie Bridge to the top of the rock for the construction and furnishing of the building. Dee Wright, government packer, and Smith L. Taylor, ranger in that district, having charge of the packing. Supervisor MacDuff said yesterday that the new lookout house is one of the best in the state. The structure was built by F.C. Lansbury.
The lookout has a milk goat with him in his camp near the house and is supplied with fresh milk every day instead of being compelled to depend upon condensed milk as the other lookouts are." (Morning Register)
June 30, 1924: "Claude Robinson, graduate of the University of Oregon in the class of 1924, left today for the McKenzie bridge district, where he will serve this summer as lookout in the service of the Cascade national forest. He took with him, besides his necessary supplies, a nanny goat.
For the past few summer seasons Robinson has served as forest lookout in the Cascade forest. The goat, he said, supplies a big part of his menu in his forest work. It is pastured in the forest, near the lookout, and besides providing sustenance, is about the only companion for the holder of the lookout post." (The Eugene Guard)
September 1924: "Claude Robinson, ex-president of the student body, University of Oregon, who is lookout on Castle Rock, keeps a milk goat rather than using condensed milk." (Six Twenty-Six)
c.1925: A standard D-6 cupola lookout house constructed.
June 25, 1925: "A man is ordinarily not put on that station until July 1, Smith L. Taylor, forest ranger at McKenzie bridge, is also putting W. W. Halsey on lookout at Castle Rock today five days earlier than usual." (The Eugene Guard)
July 7, 1930: "Foster Steele, fire assistant of the Cascade national forest, made a trip to Castle Rock lookout Monday, taking with him the new panoramic camera which has recently been purchased by the forest office for purpose of aiding in location of fires. He is teaching several of the lookouts to take pictures with the camera." (Eugene Register)
June 6, 1931: "Emergency lookouts for the weekend were stationed at Castle Rock and Huckleberry mountain, and other protective forces were advised to be on guard." (The Eugene Guard)
September 10, 1933: "Paul S. Neal returned home Wednesday evening after being stationed on the lookout on Castle Rock all summer. Carl Bowman returned with him." (The Eugene Guard)
January 1934: "Maybe the Lookout has 'IT'. The 'yen' to get on high places and look around is inherent in most of us. The physical exertion required to satisfy that desire, however, results in many an unsatisfied 'yen'. Bigger and better ECW programs may result in more roads to lookout stations or trams to the tops of peaks whereby suppressed desires may find expression. In support of my theory that humans still like to climb I cite the well known tendency of persons who are hopelessly lost to go to the top of a ridge or mountain instead of following a trail or stream to lower elevations (some one may question this and start an argument), and the further fact that each year more and more people visit lookout stations. During the past season Paul S. Neal, lookout on Castle Rock, situated near McKenzie Bridge 4 1/2 miles by trail from a good road, kept a visitors register. The total number registered between July 4 and September 3 was 110 (114 if we count repeaters). Of this number thirty-five were fearless females and 75 were men. They represented many walks of life, - judges, housewives, hunters, photographers, forest officers, army officers and just everyday folks out to climb something. It is interesting to note the states represented by the visitors and the number from each state: Oregon, 70; California, 21; Missouri, 12; Ohio, 3; Montana, 2; Washington, 1; British Columbia, 1. Foster Steele" (Six Twenty-Six)
August 23, 1938: "Construction will begin the first of September on a new lookout house for Castle Rock, it was announced Tuesday by A. Moses, of the Willamette national forest office here.
The new house will take the place of an old lookout which has served for about 20 years, Mr. Moses said. The work will be completed some time during the fall, it was stated." (The Eugene Guard)
September 6, 1938: " Construction has been started on a new lookout station in the Willamette National Forest, it was announced Saturday in Eugene. The new station known as Castle Rock is located four miles south of McKenzie Bridge." (The Sentinel)
July 4, 1948: "No man is needed at Castle Rock lookout up the McKenzie. Grace M. Harbick, McKenzie Bridge, will handle it alone. She was the only lady to attend the summer camp session." (Register-Guard)
June 6, 1950: "The McKenzie Ranger District has manned Castle Rock lookout about five weeks earlier than customary, because of the extremely dry weather. Veteran lookout, Ralph Teeters, was sent to the post until weather conditions change." (The Eugene Guard)
October 31, 1974: The lookout burned by vandals.
STATION DESCRIPTION
DESCRIBED BY US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 1955
LOCATED 3 MI SW. OF MCKENZIE BRIDGE, 1.5 MI S. OF MCKENZIE RIVER.
ON PARTIALLY BARE TOP.
TO REACH FROM MCKENZIE BRIDGE POST OFFICE, DRIVE 0.3 MI E. ALONG
STATE HWY. 126 TO GRAVEL RD. TURN RIGHT 1.4 MI TO RD. FORKS JUST
PAST HORSE CREEK BRIDGE. TURN RIGHT 0.9 MI TO DIRT RD. S. TURN
LEFT FOLLOWNG RD. ALONG TELEPHONE LINE 1.5 MI TO TRAIL LEFT AND
END OF RD. PACK UP CASTLE ROCK TRAIL 1 MI TO TRAIL FORKS IN
SADDLE. TURN RIGHT 2 MI TO USFS LOH AND STATION. ABOUT A 2-HOUR
PACK.
STATION MARK--STANDARD TABLET STAMPED---CASTLE ROCK 1955---, IN
SOLID ROCK.
RM 1--IRON BOLT WITH CROSS STAMPED---NO 1 1955---, HOLDING
SOUTHWEST GUY CABLE OF LO.