COOS COUNTY
IVERS PEAK
Coos County FPA
25S-10W-11
25S-10W-11
c.1925: An alidade established.
July 21, 1927: "An inspection of a trail being constructed through the Tioga country by three fire wardens was planned by J.A. Walsh, A.L. McCarthy and W.C. Shultz, local and state fire inspectors who left yesterday afternoon on the trip. The trail is just beyond the Lawhorne ranch where they will commence their hike. They will then proceed to the Lake Creek cabin where they will be met by Oscar Lundberg, who who go to Ivers Peak Lookout which is now under construction. They will return to Marshfield through Allegany and come down the river on the boat." (The Coos Bay Times)
July 26, 1934: "Two new men were employed last week by the Coos Fire Patrol office. Jack Scott has been given charge of the lookout at Ivers Peak." (The Coos Bay Times)
July 3, 1936: "Jack, the patrol's pack mule, has deserted the organization for a herd of elk.
Jack Scott, lookout at Ivers Peak, was declared to have phoned in that Jack, the mule, deserted the other day and failed to return. His tracks allegedly are found with the tracks of an elk herd. Scott says the animal did the same thing once before and accompanied an elk herd for several weeks before returning to camp.
Jack is used to pack telephone wire and other supplies into remote stations." (The Coos Bay Times)
July 29, 1941: "Last lookout post assignment for the Coos Fire Patrol association this season was filled today with appointment of Bert Palmer of Portland as lookout on Ivers peak. The lookout stations now are all filled, according to District Warden Keith Young." (The Coos Bay Times)
1940's: Communications by way of forest line to Coos Mountain.
Activated: March 18, 1942; Deactivated: December 21, 1942. Roseburg Filter Center.
July 27, 1942: "This post was visited July 20 in company with Warden Keith Young. Observers on duty were Mr. and Mrs. Lyman Starrett. Only four flash messages have been turned in to date, one message since July 1 when the Starretts entered on duty. The log book is in good shape and observers should function satisfactorily. More test flights would be very helpful to give them practice.
Communication is by 37 miles of grounded line to McKinley and about 35 miles of metallic from there to Marshfield. The telephone does not talk up very loud and it is expected that radio will largely be used in sending flash messages this winter.
Improvements consist of an old 16x16 shake cabin, built around 1920. Considerable winterizing would be needed and a new lookout house was approved some time ago for this station. However, a new point had been studied to substitute for Iver's Peak as a fire lookout, and construction has been withheld at Iver's Peak pending an inspection and approval on the new point by this office.
The new point, Vaughn Peak, is located in NW/NW Sec. 20, T.25S., R.10W., approximately 3 1/4 miles airline from Iver's Peak. It has complete 360 degree visibility whereas Iver's Peak has about 200 degree. It is about half covered with slash and the Coos Bay Logging Company has informed Mr. Young that if he wants to use this point as a lookout, it will hurry up cutting operations on the rest of the point. The point is on private land, but Mr. Young assured me the State would have no trouble getting title to a few acres on the top of the point. The logging company can do the slash burning on the point this fall if the Army will approve burning at that time. If not, then the Association is prepared to fall trees and snags left after cutting operations have ceased and do some clearing this summer and proceed with burning this fall-if the Army approves. The new point is on a logging road which is serviceable in winter. Two miles of telephone line can connect it with the Iver's Peak line; one mile of this extension has wire strung but needs hanging. Wire is on hand for the remainder." (A letter to James Frankland, USFS Engineering from W.N. Parke, AWS Inspector)
Communication is by 37 miles of grounded line to McKinley and about 35 miles of metallic from there to Marshfield. The telephone does not talk up very loud and it is expected that radio will largely be used in sending flash messages this winter.
Improvements consist of an old 16x16 shake cabin, built around 1920. Considerable winterizing would be needed and a new lookout house was approved some time ago for this station. However, a new point had been studied to substitute for Iver's Peak as a fire lookout, and construction has been withheld at Iver's Peak pending an inspection and approval on the new point by this office.
The new point, Vaughn Peak, is located in NW/NW Sec. 20, T.25S., R.10W., approximately 3 1/4 miles airline from Iver's Peak. It has complete 360 degree visibility whereas Iver's Peak has about 200 degree. It is about half covered with slash and the Coos Bay Logging Company has informed Mr. Young that if he wants to use this point as a lookout, it will hurry up cutting operations on the rest of the point. The point is on private land, but Mr. Young assured me the State would have no trouble getting title to a few acres on the top of the point. The logging company can do the slash burning on the point this fall if the Army will approve burning at that time. If not, then the Association is prepared to fall trees and snags left after cutting operations have ceased and do some clearing this summer and proceed with burning this fall-if the Army approves. The new point is on a logging road which is serviceable in winter. Two miles of telephone line can connect it with the Iver's Peak line; one mile of this extension has wire strung but needs hanging. Wire is on hand for the remainder." (A letter to James Frankland, USFS Engineering from W.N. Parke, AWS Inspector)
Removed
2008: The site of former lookout activities, the Coos FPA erected a 90-foot steel tower as a base for the new smoke detection camera system. This camera was originally to be used at Kelly Butte, but the coverage overlapped the coverage from Douglas FPA detection point on Old Blue.