Lookout Show`n Tell #12: World's
Tallest Lookouts
Perhaps the crudest and scariest fire tower
ever, was at Promontory Point in central Arizona's Sitgreaves Nat'l
Forest. Built by splicing small poles together to
create a rickety platform 121' tall, it served its purpose
from 1913 until 1923, and was the tallest firewatcher's perch in the
nation during its time.
Woodworth Fire Tower, near Alexandria, Louisiana
is a 176' tall iron MC-40 by Aermotor Co. It is the tallest active
lookout in North America. Hundreds of Aermotor towers
between 99' and 123' tall once stood across America. A few of
them are still staffed.
Cook Creek Spar Tree, on the Olympic coast of
Washington, was the tallest lookout ever constructed in the U.S. It
consisted of a single douglas fir tree, topped at 179', encircled with
hand-forged iron rod steps driven in the trunk, and fitted at the top with
a wooden observation cab. It stood guard over the Evergreen state's
finest forest from 1927 until 1955.
The tallest metal lookout structure in
the world is the 200' Beard Tower, a
few km east of Pemberton, Western Australia.
Western Australia is also home to the tallest and
arguably the most incredible of all lookouts. Diamond Tree (191'),
Gloucester Tree (200'), and the Warren Bi-Centennial Tree (225.6'), all near
Pemberton, have towers with cabs erected atop huge karri eucalyptus
trees. Each is accessed only by step pegs driven into the tree.
Warren, the tallest, is staffed yet today.
|
Promontory
Pt. LO, AZ 1924, Tallest Pole Tower |
Woodworth Tower, Alexandria
Forest, LA. 176' high
|
Beard LO, Western Australia. 200'
tall
|
Cook Creek Spar Tree LO
|
Diamond LO Tree, Australia
191'
|
Gloucester Tree LO
|
Ray Kresek
Fire Lookout Museum
Spokane, WA
