JACKSON COUNTY
CINNABAR TRAIL
Rogue River National Forest
39S-3W-36
39S-3W-36
1934: A 30-foot round timber tower with an L-4 cab erected by members of the Camp Applegate Civilian Conservation Corps.
June 6, 1935: "George Ellis of Jacksonville was placed temporarily at Cinnabar Trail lookout Wednesday to remain until the return of J.L. Hoxie from the Oregon National Guard encampments. Mr. Ellis is accompanied on the mountain by Mrs. Ellis, and following his release will return to his post on Whiskey Peak. Mr. Hoxie, an Ashland resident, was on duty at Cinnabar Trail last year." (Medford Mail Tribune)
June 28, 1935: "John Byrne is remaining at Cinnibar Trail lookout until the return of J.L. Hoxie from Oregon National guard encampment." (Medford Mail Tribune)
September 3, 1936: "Earl Potter is home after a summer spent at Cinnabar Peak lookout in southern Oregon." (The Oregon Statesman)
October 4, 1936: "Shifting of forest service employes has become necessary during the last two weeks in filling vacancies left when lookouts returned to studies at Oregon State colleges. Earl Potter at Cinnibar Trail lookout, who has returned to Corvallis, is succeeded by Gene Towers, formerly located at Star ranger station." (Medford Mail Tribune)
August 16, 1938: "Mrs. Jack Crump, only woman lookout on the Rogue River National forest, spotted a fire with such deadly accuracy yesterday that a serious blaze was averted.
Seeing the smoke from her Cinnabar station five miles distant, Mrs. Crump reported so accurately where the fire was that fire fighters were able to go directly to it. So much time was saved by this accuracy of location report and the speed of the fire fighters that the blaze, though in heavy brush, was confined to three quarters of an acre." (Medford Mail Tribune)
August 3, 1941: "George Fleishman doesn't need water or fish to go fishing. He fishes for rattlesnakes.
George is a city boy from Fort Collins, Colo., and he doesn't like snakes. Right now, however, he is out among 'em. He's a forestry student employed this year as a lookout at Cinnabar in the Applegate district of the Rogue River National Forest, the snakiest district of the whole forest.
Thursday noon Fleishman saw a rattlesnake go under the tool house at the lookout station. He couldn't get the snake to come back out and he was certain he wasn't going in after it. While he was considering his dilemma, he happened to recall Ranger Lee Port's assertion that rattlesnakes ate mice. Ah ha.
Thursday night George set his mouse trap with more than ordinary care and put a lot of nice extra bait in it. Sure as shootin', the next morning there was a mouse in the trap.
George fastened the dead mouse to the end of a long pole and alongside the mouse he secured a fish hook. Then he stuck the end of the pole under the tool house to await developments.
When he passed the tool house at noon on his way to lunch, George saw the pole swishing around with great turbulence. He gently but firmly pulled the pole out from under the house.
There at the end of the pole was the big old rattler, held securely by the fish hook. Just as George had planned, the snake, in its greedy haste to swallow the mouse, also swallowed the hook. George lost no time in putting an end to the snake." (Medford Mail Tribune)
George is a city boy from Fort Collins, Colo., and he doesn't like snakes. Right now, however, he is out among 'em. He's a forestry student employed this year as a lookout at Cinnabar in the Applegate district of the Rogue River National Forest, the snakiest district of the whole forest.
Thursday noon Fleishman saw a rattlesnake go under the tool house at the lookout station. He couldn't get the snake to come back out and he was certain he wasn't going in after it. While he was considering his dilemma, he happened to recall Ranger Lee Port's assertion that rattlesnakes ate mice. Ah ha.
Thursday night George set his mouse trap with more than ordinary care and put a lot of nice extra bait in it. Sure as shootin', the next morning there was a mouse in the trap.
George fastened the dead mouse to the end of a long pole and alongside the mouse he secured a fish hook. Then he stuck the end of the pole under the tool house to await developments.
When he passed the tool house at noon on his way to lunch, George saw the pole swishing around with great turbulence. He gently but firmly pulled the pole out from under the house.
There at the end of the pole was the big old rattler, held securely by the fish hook. Just as George had planned, the snake, in its greedy haste to swallow the mouse, also swallowed the hook. George lost no time in putting an end to the snake." (Medford Mail Tribune)
Activated: August 11, 1942; Deactivated: October 16, 1943. Roseburg Filter Center.
1942: Mr. and Mrs. Charles McCoy spent the winter at the lookout station as AWS observers.
October 16, 1943: The Aircraft Warning Service Station "Nan 4-6" was inactivated. The service had utilized existing facilities owning by the forestry service. At the end of service the buildings were retain by the forestry service for use as originally intended. No AWS funds were expended on improvements. (Report of the Aircraft Warning Service Stations, May 1, 1944)
November 3, 1949: "Three lookouts have been sent to U.S. forest posts in a move that is unusual for this time of year, officials at the Rogue River National forest office said today as federal and state forest service men continued the battle to bring several Oregon forest fires under control.
Shutters have been taken off windows and supplies carried to lookout post on Rustler peak in the Butte Falls district, Robinson Butte in the Ashland district, and on Cinnabar peak in the Applegate district, officials reported.
These lookouts will remain on duty until rain lessens the danger of fires started from slash burnings." (Medford Mail Tribune)
Shutters have been taken off windows and supplies carried to lookout post on Rustler peak in the Butte Falls district, Robinson Butte in the Ashland district, and on Cinnabar peak in the Applegate district, officials reported.
These lookouts will remain on duty until rain lessens the danger of fires started from slash burnings." (Medford Mail Tribune)
1953: The tower portion of the lookout replaced with a 30-foot tower of treated timbers.
October 3, 1956: "The forest service will receive bids for the erection of a lookout tower at Cinnabar Mountain about 35 miles southeast of Medford in the Rogue River national forest until 2 p.m., Oct. 11.
The project calls for the erection of a prefabricated treated timber lookout to replace the present lookout there. Plans and specifications for the project may be obtained from the regional forester or from the forest supervisor at the Post Office building, Medford." (Medford Mail Tribune)
May 30, 1957: "Bids for construction of a lookout tower on Cinnabar mountain have been called by the U.S. forest service.
The planned structure is to replace the existing tower and is to be a pre-fabricated, pressure-treated wood tower with catwalk and lightning protection, according to the forest service.
Cinnabar mountain is in the Applegate district about 35 miles southwest of Medford. The government will provide all materials permanently included in the house and tower project, except concrete for the footings. Work is to commence within ten days after notification to proceed and must be completed within 60 days." (Medford Mail Tribune)
August 13, 1957: "Construction of the Cinnabar lookout above the Star ranger station, Applegate, is almost complete." (Medford Mail Tribune)
October 20, 1957: "Construction of a new tower under a lookout house, a new 30-foot tower was built under the lookout house at Cinnabar mountain which required raising the house three feet from the top of the old tower. T.C. (Buck) Flory of Medford, contractor, used treated timber in the n ew tower, and jacked the house up during the construction. (Medford Mail Tribune)
June 17, 1958: "A most unexpected visitor greeted Ike Coffman one day while he was at his post at Cinnabar lookout here.
"I looked around and there was a peacock.' Coffman said. Not knowing of any such birds in the adjoining community, Coffman was at a loss to know where he was from.
He divided provisions with his plumed visitor, giving him such morsels as bread and potato salad, and at night he roosted on the highest peak of the lookout tower. Upon announcing the arrival of this unusual guest over a local radio station, Coffman soon learned that he belonged to an Ashland man and had disappeared during the man's two week absence.
Due to the rainy period, Coffman and his wife have been down from the lookout for a week, remaining at their home in Jacksonville, and at last reports were anxious to return to the lookout to see if the bird had remained there. He expected to take back a supply of cracked corn." (Medford Mail Tribune)
1974: The lookout removed.
STATION DESCRIPTION
DESCRIBED BY US FOREST SERVICE 1935
STATION IS ON A LONG RIDGE, KNOWN AS CINNABAR LOOKOUT, ABOUT 16
MILES SW OF THE TOWN OF MEDFORD. THERE IS A ROAD TO THE TOP OF
THIS MOUNTAIN.
THE LOOKOUT HOUSE IS A 14- BY 14-FOOT HOUSE ON A 30-FOOT WOODEN
TOWER.
THERE WAS A FOREST SERVICE DISK SET IN THE SE CORNER, IN THE TOP
OF THE NW CONCRETE CORNER STONE OF THE LOOKOUT TOWER.
STATION AND SIGNAL IS CENTER OF FOREST SERVICE LOOKOUT HOUSE. THE
DISK IS ECCENTRIC AND IS STAMPED CINNABAR 1935. DISTANCE FROM
CENTER TO DISK REFERENCE MARK NOT MEASURED, BUT THE DIRECTION IS
CLOSE TO TRUE NW.