DOUGLAS COUNTY
ROMAN NOSE MOUNTAIN
Siuslaw National Forest > Western Lane Fire Patrol
19S-9W-23
19S-9W-23
April 27, 1917: "Warden Oglesby says that the association has also practically decided to establish a lookout station on Mt. Roman Nose, on the divide between Lane and Douglas counties, where guards will be stationed to watch for fires in the forest. No trail work will be done this year, as the forest is pretty well honeycombed with trails at present." (Morning Register)
June 17, 1917: "A crew of nine men soon will be running a branch line to Roman Nose mountain, where a lookout station is to be established. The construction work is to be completed by June 30, according to Mr. Oglesby." (Morning Register)
May 28, 1920: "Mt Roman Nose and Prairie Mountain will be used as lookouts as in the past and both these stations will be equipped with modern cabins and fire-finders. Telephone lines have already been built to these points." (The West)
June 16, 1920: "Supervisor Shelley, of the Siuslaw National forest, has just sent out two additional men to repair the telephone line running to the top of the mountain, on the Lane-Douglas border, and also to construct trails and build a lookout house on the summit." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
August 28, 1920: "A.R. Wilcox, of the Siuslaw forest office, has just returned from Roman Nose mountain, about 13 miles southwest of Austa, where a new lookout house is to be established. There is already a lookout at this place, but the house, which is to come from Portland, already constructed has not yet arrived. Two O.A.C. students are the lookouts there." (Morning Register)
June 15, 1921: "L. B. Chruden left yesterday for the lookout station at Roman Nose mountain in the Siuslaw National forest. He is the first lookout sent to a station in the Siuslaw forest this year. Mr. Chruden will do telephone line work a few days before taking up his duties. A half dozen other lookouts will be sent out in a few days. All have signed for the summer's work, it is announced at the forest office." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
June 16, 1921: "-- Chruden left yesterday for the Siuslaw forest where he will be stationed on Roman Nose mountain this summer as lookout." (Morning Register)
July 8, 1921: "Six fire finding instruments for as many lookout stations were sent out by the Siuslaw national forest today. The instruments consist of a large map of the lookout district on which is mounted a circle graduated in degrees, and a sighting apparatus. Angle readings are taken by the lookouts and telephoned to headquarters where the fire is located by the intersection method. One of these instruments went out to Roman Nose mountain." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
July 15, 1921: "A.R. Wilcox, examiner in the office of the Siuslaw national forest in this city, yesterday held a conversation with Lawrence Chruden, lookout on Roman Nose in Douglas county, showing that the forest lines are working well. Chruden said that there was a heavy fog enveloping the mountain then and no fires had been sighted." (Morning Register)
July 16, 1921: "To erect a fire finding instrument on Roman Nose mountain and to inspect the instruments of the other lookouts in the Siuslaw national forest. Arthur R. Wilcox, of the office in this city, will leave Eugene Monday morning. Fire finding instruments have been installed at all lookouts except Roman Nose. These will be checked up by Mr. Wilcox so that no error will result from the reading of the instruments when fires are sighted.
From Roman Nose Mr. Wilcox will go into the Smith Rivers country and to Gardiner, spending a week or more in the forest." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
October 17, 1921: "Arthur Wilcox, examiner of the Siuslaw national forest, has returned from spending the last five weeks on Roman Nose mountain. He and J.. Sanborn, lookout at Roman Nose, have been engaged in constructing a house on top of the mountain. The house is completed and Mr. Sanborn returned to the city with Mr. Wilcox, the fire lookout season being over." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
October 18, 1921: "The forest fire lookout house on top of Roman Nose in the Siuslaw national forest has been completed, according to A. R. Wilcox, forest examiner, who has been in that locality for a number of weeks. The work was under the direction of J. L. Sanborn, who with Mr. Wilcox has returned to Eugene." (Morning Register)
April 23, 1922: "Warden Oglesby says that this year lookouts on Prairie mountain and Mt. Roman Nose will have to depended upon. These lookout stations are used co-operatively by the Siuslaw national forest and the fire patrol association." (Morning Register)
June 1, 1922: "Forest Ranger E.S. Kirby, of Mapleton, is putting men at work cleaning up the trails and telephone lines to the Roman Nose lookout, which was built last year." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
June 22, 1922: "The forest lookout on Mount Roman Nose in the Siuslaw national forest, in the northwestern part of Douglas county, yesterday reported to headquarters of the forest in Eugene that there is a fire burning in the Alsea valley in southern Lincoln county and one in the Lake Creek valley, both outside the national forest and in privately-owned timber. R.S. Shelley, supervisor of the forest, sent word to the supervising warden of the Western Lane County Fire Patrol Association." (The Morning Oregonian)
July 7, 1923: "Survey for a telephone line proposed to connect Roman Nose lookout in the Siuslaw national forest with that of the fire guard in the southern division in the Smith River district will be made next week by A.R. Wilcox, forest examiner who expects to leave for that district Monday. The line will be about 17 miles long.
By use of the direct connection to be established through this section, greater accuracy in locating fires and efficiency in fighting them will be possible when the line is constructed. At present, Roman Nose lookout, one of the seven primary stations, is connected with the headquarters here (Eugene) and word has to be relayed through here to the southern division." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
August 7, 1923: "About five miles of the 17-mile telephone line under construction in the Siuslaw national forest between Roman Nose lookout and Smith river ranger station has already been completed, returned this week-end from an administrative trip in the terrain under his administration. This line was recently laid out by A.R. Wilcox, forest examiner, the work being pushed by a crew working under Joe Clausen, foreman." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
August 25, 1923: "Ten of the 15 miles of forest telephone line and trail construction to the Siuslaw forest ranger lookout house on Roman Nose mountain have been completed by the five-man crew at work on it and the remaining distance will be completed in about three weeks more, it is estimated by A.R. Wilcox, examiner who has returned from business in that district.
When completed from the lookout down to farmer lines in the Smith river and Umpqua river district, the road line will make fire fighting much more efficient in the southern part of that territory over looked by the eminence. Ranger D.G. Knox, who occupies the lookout, will then have connection with fire fighters in the Umpqua and with Gardiner." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
October 1, 1923: "Leonard Huck, who has been stationed at Roman Nose as lookout, has returned. The rain will now take his place." (The Eugene Daily Guard)
June 15, 1925: "Eugene Callahan is to be the lookout at Roman Nose mountain, more familiarly known to Eugene as Saddle mountain. It appears west of the city about 30 miles on the divide between Smith river and the Siuslaw." (The Eugene Guard)
June 12, 1928: "Phillip Johnson is also here preparing to go on a lookout station. He will be located on Mt. Roman Nose for the season." (Morning Register)
August 22, 1928: "The regular lookout man on Roman Nose, Phillip Johnson, is suffering from an infection in his arm, caused by a felon on his thumb, and was obligated to visit a physician, Francis Spencer, a student at O.A.C., filled his place while he was away and will stay until Mr. Johnson is completely recovered." (The Eugene Guard)
October 1, 1933: "Veris Dahlin, lookout on Roman Nose, killed a seven-foot cougar the fore part of September." (The Forest Log)
1935: The lookout listed as a co-op station between the Siuslaw National Forest and Western Lane FPA.
September 12, 1941: "Robert Morrow, who has been stationed at Roman Nose lookout, has returned to New York to attend the state college." (The Eugene Guard)
1953: A one-mile re-alignment of the lookout road completed.
1957: "The construction of the replacement lookout was started, most of the exterior work was completed. $2237.04 was spent for materials and includes most of the requirements for the station." (1957 Annual Report to Oregon Department of Forestry)
1958: "The new lookout house on Roman Nose Lookout, started last season, was completed in 1958." (Western Lane District Annual Report)
1958: "The new lookout facility which was started in 1957 was completed and used this year. Considerable work was done this last December as it was necessary to vent the building to eliminate moisture condensation. The final cost of materials was $2381.02." (1958 Annual Report to Oregon Department of Forestry)
2008: The unused lookout site reactivated as a location for the Forest Watch camera detection system.