RILEY PEAK
Polk County - Polk County Fire Patrol - 8S-8W-12
June 6, 1931: "Forest fires in the Willamette Valley Lumber company property in Polk county destroyed about three million feet of felled logs and the Riley's Peak Lookout station, it was reported Saturday by Lynn F. Cronemiller, state forester.
The fire Friday covered several thousand acres and the entire crew of the company's logging camp was fighting the flames, the forestry office was informed. The lookout station was the property of the Polk County Fire Patrol association." (Daily Capital Journal)
The fire Friday covered several thousand acres and the entire crew of the company's logging camp was fighting the flames, the forestry office was informed. The lookout station was the property of the Polk County Fire Patrol association." (Daily Capital Journal)
June 7, 1931: "Fire on the property of the Willamette Valley Lumber company, on Riley's Peak, Polk county, swept over approximately 1000 acres of cut-over land, according to reports received at the state forester's office. A lookout station there was reported destroyed, and 3,000,000 feet of logs were reported damaged. The entire logging crew was called out to fight the blaze." (The Sunday Oregonian)
July 1, 1931: "Reports received from the Polk county unit recently are to the effect that the Rileys Peak lookout cabin was burned in a forest fire on June 6. The fire that destroyed the lookout station was one that spread through the operations of the Willamette Valley Lumber company operations as a result of the high winds during the latter part of April. Officials of the company had men and equipment on the fire ever since it started but were greatly handicapped through weather conditions. In spite of the difficulties in combating the flames the losses to the company were limited to approximately two million feet of logs. Little damage was done to green timber." (The Forest Log)
1963: A ground cabin was constructed at this emergency lookout at a cost of $404.16. These costs were paid from the state restoration funds from the loss of Fanno Mountain Lookout the year before in the Columbus Day Storm.
1968: The lookout removed.