DOUGLAS COUNTY
MOUNT SCOTT
Douglas County Fire Patrol
25S-3W-28
25S-3W-28
1914: This site was the first lookout put in service by the Douglas County Fire Patrol Association.
July 16, 1914: "Supervising Fire Warden Lander this afternoon enjoyed a telephone conservation with one of his assistants who is stationed at Point Lookout, on the very summit of Mount Scott, 25 miles east of Roseburg. The telephone line was recently installed to that point and has already proven very convenient to the fire wardens. From Point Lookout, the warden is able to observe the country for miles in either direction and can report any unusual incident to the chief fire warden here without delay." (Roseburg Review)
1914: "Five miles of telephone line was constructed to the top of Mt. Scott at a cost of $150." (Fourth Annual Report of the State Forester - 1915)
July 7, 1915: "The telephone gang has just completed eight miles of line from Camas Valley to Live Oak Mountain, and are now repairing the line from Flournoy Valley to Landers Lookout. After the completion of the repair work they will be transferred to Mount Scott, where the Mount Scott line will be put into commission." (Roseburg Review)
July 9, 1915: "A telephone gang was sent from Glide today to repair the line from that place to Mount Scott. The workmen who have been repairing the line from Landers Lookout finished their work yesterday. Both gangs are under the charge of the Douglas Fire Patrol." (The Evening Review)
August 15, 1916: "The Douglas Fire Patrol reported today that they are building a station at the Mt. Scott lookout. This is one of the highest lookout stations in Douglas county and all the surrounding territory can be plainly seen from it. Previously the ranger has been forced to keep his goods in a tent, but a substantial wooden station is now being constructed." (The Evening News)
April 16, 1917: "In the way of improvement work the association has constructed two cabins. built 3 1/2 miles of new telephone line, and constructed 111 miles of new trail, in addition to opening up 445 miles of old trail and repairing 18 miles of old telephone line. The association has also about completed a lookout tower on Mt. Scott, at which place one of the new cabins is situate." (Roseburg Review)
July 6, 1917: “Mr. Peters, of Washington D.C., who is in charge of a Government appropriation of $100,000 for the protection of timber from fire, and Norman Jacobson, of Portland, who is in charge of the protection of the O. & C. grant land, are expected to arrive in Sutherlin today (Friday) and will accompany R. M. Fox to Mount Scott to inspect the lookout station, trails and fire lines and the Calapooia water shed.” (The Sutherlin Sun)
July 6, 1917: “Mr. Peters, of Washington D.C., who is in charge of a Government appropriation of $100,000 for the protection of timber from fire, and Norman Jacobson, of Portland, who is in charge of the protection of the O. & C. grant land, are expected to arrive in Sutherlin today (Friday) and will accompany R. M. Fox to Mount Scott to inspect the lookout station, trails and fire lines and the Calapooia water shed.” (The Sutherlin Sun)
May 27, 1921: "The association is completing a line from the mouth of Hinkle creek, east of Sutherlin, to Mount Scott Lookout, a distance of seven and one-half miles. This work will be completed Saturday and the crew moved to Rock Creek." (Roseburg News-Review)
July 20, 1931: "P.S. King, deputy state forester in charge of fire protection; Fred Southwick, supervising warden for Douglas County Fire Patrol association, and D.O. Weaver, field inspector for the state forester in Douglas county, made a trip to Mt. Scott Saturday to inspect the new fifty-foot lookout tower recently completed by the Douglas County Fire Patrol association.
This tower, of pole and lumber construction, is equipped with a standard Osborne fire finder and telephone and greatly increases the efficiency of the protective organizations locating fires, since an unobstructed view is to be had of the entire surrounding country, while formerly it was necessary to take observations from several different parts of the mountain. A new telephone line of standard construction is being built between Glide and the lookout replacing the old line." (Roseburg News-Review)
1931: "A new 50 foot tower was built on Mt. Scott with an eight foot platform at the top giving an unobstructed view in all directions. The cost of the tower was $167.62." (Douglas FPA - Oregon Department of Forestry Annual Report - 1931)
August 8, 1933: "Construction of a new lookout tower and log cabin on the summit of Mt. Scott is under way by a detached group of workers from the Tyee CCC camp. The improvement is being made under the direction of Newell Wright, supervisor of camps on ) and C grant lands.
The lookout tower has been nearly completed, and good progress is being made on the cabin.
The new building is to be much larger than the shelter formerly used. It will be plastered on the interior and will have a large fire place. It is the intention of the Douglas County Fire Patrol association to leave the cabin open during the winter months for the convenience and comfort of hikers according to Fred Southwick, supervising warden of the fire patrol association." (Roseburg News-Review)
The lookout tower has been nearly completed, and good progress is being made on the cabin.
The new building is to be much larger than the shelter formerly used. It will be plastered on the interior and will have a large fire place. It is the intention of the Douglas County Fire Patrol association to leave the cabin open during the winter months for the convenience and comfort of hikers according to Fred Southwick, supervising warden of the fire patrol association." (Roseburg News-Review)
August 20, 1933: Panorama photos were taken by Moe and Arnst.
1933: "A new tower was built on Mt. Scott. The entire work was handled by the CCC under the supervision of one of our wardens. Most of the material for this work was purchased with ECW funds." (Douglas FPA - Oregon Department of Forestry Annual Report - 1933)
September 1, 1933: "Substantial improvements on Mt. Scott lookout are being completed under the C.C.C. work program which includes a 50-ft. lookout tower, a log cabin 14 x 16 feet with an eight foot porch and a stone fireplace. Some timber on Roach Timber Company's holdings is being felled to give an unobstructed view of the Rock Creek and Calapooya watersheds." (The Forest Log)
October 3, 1933: "C.C.C. workers in Douglas county have completed a modern lookout station on summit of Mt. Scott, reports the state forestry department.
The construction consists of a 50-foot tower, a log cabin 14 x 16 feet with an 8-foot porch and stone fireplace. Some timber was felled to give an unobstructed view of Rock creek and Calapooia water sheds." (Corvallis Gazette-Times)
March 1934: "The work of the association was simplified by use of CCC crews as emergency fire fighters and improvement crews. Material for a new cabin on Mount Scott was purchased with ECW funds, and a portion on the labor was furnished by CCC camps. A new tower on Mount Scott was built entirely by CCC crews under the supervision of an association fire warden." (The Forest Log)
August 29, 1935: "Lester Weaver, age 13, and a resident of the Hinkle Creek district east of Sutherlin was feared to be either lost or drowned, returned home Monday, after spending the night out in the woods near Mount Scott. He finally reached the lookout post on that mountain, where Ranger Elmer Wright phoned into Roseburg that the boy was safe." (Roseburg Chieftain)
1935: "A catwalk was built around the tower on Mt. Scott. Materials cost $16.36." (Douglas FPA - Oregon Department of Forestry Annual Report - 1935)
1935: "A catwalk was built around the tower on Mt. Scott. Materials cost $16.36." (Douglas FPA - Oregon Department of Forestry Annual Report - 1935)
April 1938: "High winds during the winter blew all the shutters off the Mt. Scott lookout cabin and broke out the windows. The lookout is located in the Douglas unit." (The Forest Log)
May 27, 1942: "The forest lookout station on Mt. Scott, near Glide, was badly wrecked when it apparently suffered a direct hit by a bolt of lightning recently, Fred Southwick, supervising warden of the Douglas Forest Protective association, reported today. The damage to the structure was discovered Tuesday, when Southwick went to the station on a regular trip of inspection.
The roof was torn from the building and all windows shattered, he stated. The lightning struck the telephone, although the instrument had been disconnected, shattering the equipment into bits, Southwick reported. The lightning traveled along the telephone wires in two direction from the station and jumped insulators and grounded on trees for a distance of a quarter of a mile each way." (Roseburg News-Review)
The roof was torn from the building and all windows shattered, he stated. The lightning struck the telephone, although the instrument had been disconnected, shattering the equipment into bits, Southwick reported. The lightning traveled along the telephone wires in two direction from the station and jumped insulators and grounded on trees for a distance of a quarter of a mile each way." (Roseburg News-Review)
July 7, 1944: "Mrs. Gertrude Stoute and Miss Miller left Monday, July 3, for Mt. Scott, where they will have charge of the lookout for the summer." (Roseburg News-Review)
September 1946: "The alertness of Miss Marcelene Moore, lookout on Mt. Scott in the Douglas County Forest protective association, early in August prevented what might have been a very serious fire in the upper Calapooya area. Miss Moore awoke shortly after midnight and figured it might be a good idea to take a look around the country. She noted the light of a fire in the distance and immediately notified the dispatcher in Roseburg. The crew was sent out and reached the fire shortly after 2 a.m. It was in a very bad accumulation of slash and other debris but the crew got it completely under control before the heat of the day." (The Forest Log)
1946: "It is recommended that a new lookout house and a 30 foot tower be purchased to replace the Mt Scott tower and house." (Douglas FPA - Oregon Department of Forestry Annual Report - 1946)
1947: Mt Scott lookout replaced at a cost of $1192.36. (Douglas FPA - Oregon Department of Forestry Annual Report - 1947)
1957: "A power line was built to Mt. Scott and a cement building constructed to house radio equipment." (Douglas FPA - Oregon Department of Forestry Annual Report - 1957)
1965: "During the last part of December the Mt. Scott radio tower was again destroyed. This time it fell on and did some damage to the lookout house." (Douglas FPA - Oregon Department of Forestry Annual Report - 1965)
1965: "During the last part of December the Mt. Scott radio tower was again destroyed. This time it fell on and did some damage to the lookout house." (Douglas FPA - Oregon Department of Forestry Annual Report - 1965)
1976: "Two lookout stations were torn down and salvaged. Wards Butte and Old Fairview had not been used for several years and the vandalism costs were too high. Parts of these lookouts will be used to construct a new tower on Mt. Scott." (Oregon Department of Forestry Annual Report - 1976)
1977: "The Mt. Scott lookout tower and cabin was completed in time for fire season. This was mostly built from two salvaged lookouts." (Oregon Department of Forestry Annual Report - 1977)
