WHEELER COUNTY
SNOWBOARD RIDGE
Oregon Department of Forestry
7S-23E-17
7S-23E-17
1935: A tower built of logs and lumber constructed for a cost of $300.
July 30, 1936: "The forest service is building a 10 by 10 foot cabin on the Snowboard lookout tower. This is the first and only cabin of this size put on a high tower on the Umatilla forest. The lookout station is almost in the center of the vast Kinzua timber lands. The work is being done by one of the ERA crews assigned to the Heppner district." (Heppner Gazette-Times)
August 1936: "July 28th, four years ago, I went to work in the fire service. My station was at Daity, a low swampy meadow in the forest. The mosquitoes were so bad they would puncture automobile tires. I rode three miles on horse back to a suitable point where I used a tree for a lookout. Today I am two miles west of Dairy in a modern tower with up-to-date equipment, a lovely garage, and a nice little house to live in. M.J. Campbell, guard" (Umatilla Buckaroo)
July 27, 1939: "R.P. Parrish, lookout at Snowboard, was laid off work this week by a serious attack of flu. He is being relieved by Owen Leathers." (Heppner Gazette-Times)
1951: "Snowboard LO - 7S 23E Sec 16: 50 foot tower with 14 x 14 cabin - cost $4615." (Central Oregon District Annual Report)
1953: "7 miles of 3-circuit telephone line from Kinzua to Snowboard LO to provide for telephone and remote radio connections." (Central Oregon District Annual Report)
1957: The tower cab and the ground house were repainted inside and out, the garage exterior was also painted. (Central Oregon District Annual Report)
1958 The interior repainted.
1960: This station only reported one fire this fire season.
1961: A one and a quarter mile of road to the lookout rebuilt. A new stove and chimney installed. The handrail and related parts painted.
1961: Three fires discovered from this station.
1962: Some one climbed to the catwalk and shot through the building shutters about center height of the windows, hitting the stove pipe and damper on the way through.
1962: No fires reported this season.
1963: The lookout painted completely and new gates installed on the catwalk at both sides of the trap door.
1963: Five fires reported this fire season.
1964: This site was included as a radio relay point for the change over to FM.
1964: This station reported nine discoveries during the fire season.
1965: The FM antenna installed on a 90-foot round timber pole.
DESIGNATION - SNOWBOARD LOT
PID - QC1046
STATE/COUNTY- OR/WHEELER
COUNTRY - US
USGS QUAD - WHEELER POINT (1995)
STATION DESCRIPTION
DESCRIBED BY US FOREST SERVICE 1936
STATION IS THE CENTER OF THE SNOWBOARD LOOKOUT TOWER, SITUATED
ON A RIDGE ABOUT 6 MILES SE OF KINZUA. A LOGGING ROAD EXTENDS
FROM KINZUA TO THE LOOKOUT, WHICH IS A 60-FOOT TOWER WITH SMALL CAB
ON TOP.