ODELL BUTTE
Klamath County - Deschutes National Forest; 24S-7E-26
July 21, 1915: "Ranger South made a trip to the summit of Odell Butte to take observations regarding the advisability of establishing a lookout station at that point." (The Bend Bulletin, 'The Deschutes Ranger')
July 30, 1927: "An electric storm which swung northward over the high Cascades caused three forest fires, which were all under control today. One of the lightning fires was reported from Odell Butte." (The Bend Bulletin)
1927: Telephone connections were being completed to the lookout at the beginning of August.
August 13, 1927: "With compass needles thrown off from 10 to 20 degrees by local magnetic attraction, the temporary lookout stationed here is working under a handicap in reporting forest fires, it was learned here today in information received from local forest officials.
To offset the local attraction, Leslie Colvill, in charge of the fire control work, was this morning making charts on which the erratic deviation of the magnetic needle can be rectified, through the orientation of the charts with mapped points." (The Bend Bulletin)
1928: On July 26th an emergency lookout was stationed.
August 12, 1929: "Due to heavy smoke the intermediate lookout was stationed."
1929: The 1930 Forest Service budget considers improvements including a permanent telephone line to Odell butte.
August 9, 1930: An emergency lookout was stationed.
December 1930: "Last summer the Odell Butte Emergency Lookout, Jack Benson, was confronted with a very unpleasant situation. Pack rats were attempting to carry off bodily both him and his camp. After many nights of ferocious battling and loss of sleep, he decided something must be done to rid the mountain of these unwelcome visitors. He tried many hand-fashioned traps, but the rats ignored them completely.
When about to give up in despair, a tin can gave him a new idea. He took a can and cut the bottom crosswise, dividing it into quarters. These sharp-pointed quarters he pushed in, leaving an opening just large enough for the head of a rat. The principle of the trap was that a rat, upon sticking its head through the opening, would be securely held by the sharp points.
Jack fixed one can, baited it, and then went to bed, hoping the trap would work. During the night he was awakened by the sound of a tin can being thumped on rocks. Investigation proved a rat was in his trap. Right then and there, Jack added six more traps to his list, baited them, and returned to bed in much better spirits. The next morning seven rats were found running around with tin can bells. It was not long until Jack could sleep peacefully all night. C.H. Overbay" (Six Twenty-Six)
December 1930: "A new use for the tin can. Last summer the Odell Butte Emergency Lookout, Jack Benson, was confronted with a very unpleasant situation. Pack rats were attempting to carry off bodily both him and his camp. After many nights of ferocious battling and loss of sleep, he decided something must be done to rid the mountain of these unwelcome visitors. He tried many hand-fashioned traps, but the rats ignored them completely.
When about to give up in despair, a tin can gave him a new idea. He took a can and cut the bottom crosswise, dividing it into quarters. These sharp-pointed quarters he pushed in, leaving an opening just large enough for the head of a rat. The principle of the trap was that a rat, upon sticking its head through the opening, would be securely held by the sharp points.
Jack fixed one can, baited it, and then went to bed, hoping the trap would work. During the night he was awakened by the sound of a tin can being thumped on rocks. Investigation proved a rat was in his trap. Right then and there, Jack added six more traps to his list, baited them, and returned to bed in much better spirits. The next morning seven rats were found running around with tin can bells. It was not long until Jack could sleep peacefully all night. Charles H. Overbay" (Six Twenty-Six)
May 25, 1932: This station was designated as a precipitation recording point and will be supplied with a rain gauge. (The Bend Bulletin)
August 13, 1932: "Material for the Odell Butte tower and lookout house will have to be transported to the top of the high peak with a pack string. That job will be started around September 1." (The Bend Bulletin)
1932 The 20-foot round timber tower with a 14x14 L-4 hip-roof lookout cab was completed at a cost of $1,334.37.
1934: Merle Hamilton took over as replacement for Vernon Everett as lookout-fireman, who had cut his foot and was unable to perform his duties.
May 28, 1936: "Before leaving his station at the Odell Butte lookout this morning, John Clark telephoned to forest service headquarters here that four inches of snow covered that peak." (The Bend Bulletin)
1936: In June, hazard sticks, balanced scales and wind recording instruments were installed.
July 8, 1942: "With thunder clouds rolling over the Cascades, forest service men today packed the lookout up on Odell Butte, and thus completed the roster of lookouts manned in the Crescent district for 1942. Bill Jenkins of Gilchrist, only three weeks out from Mississippi, is the new lookout, replacing Johnnie Myers, who is the new headquarters fireman at Crescent." (The Herald and News)
October 21, 1942: "The only lookout station in the Crescent district manned this summer where horses had to be used to pack the lookout to his tower, was closed Thursday when John E. Meyers, of Bend, guard at the district ranger station, went up to close the Odell Butte lookout.
Meyers and Leah F. Collins, of Wilderness ranch pack station, packed down belongings of the last lookout and shut the station for the winter. Meyers has been shutting other stations all week, including Walker Mountain, Deer Butte and Davis Mountain. The latter station was manned for three weeks after the beginning of school by Stewart Gilchrist, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Gilchrist, of Gilchrist, who has been with the forest service all summer.
Only seven fires were started in this district during the season, two of which were man caused. In spite of dry conditions, fires which did occur were promptly seen and put under control with practically no damage." (Herald and News)
Meyers and Leah F. Collins, of Wilderness ranch pack station, packed down belongings of the last lookout and shut the station for the winter. Meyers has been shutting other stations all week, including Walker Mountain, Deer Butte and Davis Mountain. The latter station was manned for three weeks after the beginning of school by Stewart Gilchrist, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Gilchrist, of Gilchrist, who has been with the forest service all summer.
Only seven fires were started in this district during the season, two of which were man caused. In spite of dry conditions, fires which did occur were promptly seen and put under control with practically no damage." (Herald and News)
April 20,1962: "The Odell Butte lookout station, constructed just short of 30 years ago, is to be replaced this summer with a standard lookout building, 14 by 14 feet on a tower 20 feet high.
Bids will be called later in the season and the lookout will be built in the fall.
Odell Butte, top of which is 7033 feet above sea level. A road built in connection with a timber sale now reaches within 0.9 of a mile from Odell Butte’s timbered top. This road will be extended to the summit prior to the start of work on the lookout." (The Bend Bulletin)
April 22, 1962: "The Odell Butte lookout station, constructed just short of 30 years ago when material was carried to the 7033-foot high peak on pack horses, is to be replaced.
This time, material for the 14 by 14 foot lookout's quarters on a 20-foot tower will be moved in by truck. A road now reaches to within 0.9 of a mile of the peak, and later this season it will be extended to the summit.
Bids for the project will be called this summer, Deschutes National Forest officials have announced, and work on the lookout will start in September.
Odell Butte is in the Crescent district near the Willamette Highway." (The Sunday Oregonian)
August 20, 1962: "Plans and specifications for the 20-foot modified treated timber lookout tower proposed for construction on Odell Butte are now available in the engineers office of the Deschutes National Forest, Bend.
Bids for the project have been set for 2 p.m., daylight time, on August 29. Interested bidders can obtain copies of bids and plans from the supervisor’s office in Bend.
The project also includes installation of lightning protection and a wire safety fence." (The Bend Bulletin)
STATION DESCRIPTION
DESCRIBED BY US FOREST SERVICE 1934
ON THE HIGHEST PART OF ODELL BUTTE, A LARGE WOODED BUTTE,
ELEVATION ABOUT 7035 FEET, SITUATED ABOUT 8.5 MILES W OF
CRESCENT. THE TOWER RESTS ON A MASSIVE ROCK POINT. THE TRAIL
TO THE SUMMIT OF THE BUTTE IS ABOUT 4 MILES LONG AND IS REACHED
BY COUNTY ROAD FROM CRESCENT, DISTANCE ABOUT 9 MILES. THE
POINT INTERSECTED WAS THE CENTER OF THE U.S.F.S. 30-FOOT WOODEN
LOOKOUT TOWER AND HOUSE, BUILT IN 1932. THE POSITION IS MARKED
BY A FOREST SERVICE DISK SET IN SOLID ROCK DIRECTLY UNDER THE
CENTER.
STATION RECOVERY (1953)
RECOVERY NOTE BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1953 (HSC)
THE STATION IS THE APEX OF THE LOOKOUT TOWER ON THE SUMMIT OF
ODELL BUTTE ABOUT 9 MILES WEST OF CRESCENT AND 1 MILE NORTHEAST
OF STATE HIGHWAY 58.
THE TOWER IS A WOODEN STRUCTURE ABOUT 35 FEET HIGH WITH A
STANDARD 14 X 14 FOOT OBSERVING CAB ON TOP.
THERE IS A USFS DISK SET DIRECTLY UNDER THE CENTER OF THE TOWER,
STAMPED ODELL BU L.O.T. 1933. INQUIRE AT THE CRESCENT RANGER
STATION FOR THE BEST METHOD TO REACH THE STATION.
A TRAVERSE CONNECTION WAS MADE FROM STATION ODELL THE DISTANCE
BEING 18.16 FEET.