CEMENT RIDGE
Crook County - Black Hills National Forest
July 19, 1912: "D. L. Van Meter, lookout for the Forest Service at Cement Ridge, was in the city Tuesday. He says when last seen the elk turned loose on the headwaters of Sand creek last spring were doing fine." (Crook County Monitor)
January 3, 1913: "A forest guard was stationed at Cement Ridge lookout station where a cabin has been built, connected by forest service telephone with the ranger's headquarters and the supervisor's office. This lookout discovered thirteen of the fifteen fires that occurred during the summer." (Crook County Monitor)
August 29, 1915: "Protective measures on the Black Hills National Forest against forest fires are better than ever before. During the past year, direct telephone connection was established with the Lookout Station near Tinton through the construction of a telephone line via Savoy and Little Spearfish creek. This Lookout station controls the Bear Lodge mountains and the northwestern part of the Black Hills and serves as a valuable assistance to the main Lookout station on Custer Peak, which has excellent control over the remainder of the country." (Deadwood Pioneer-Times)
August 23, 1916: "A heavy electric storm passed over this section Wednesday, and kept the Lookout Observer on the jump for a while, reporting burning snags. Two of the fires were close to the station, so he put them out himself without aid." (The Times - Sundance)
June 12, 1918: "A new and improved method of locating forest fires is being installed at the Custer Peak and Cement Ridge lookout stations of the Black Hills forest. The accurate location of a column of smoke rising from a timbered country ten to thirty miles distant from the lookout is a difficult matter unless the smoke can be reported simultaneously from two or more observation points." (Deadwood Pioneer-Times) The introduction of the Osborne Fire-Finder.
September 10, 1919: "George R. Shrader, in charge of the Cement Ridge fire lookout station of the forest service, was in the city yesterday. Cement Ridge commands a very good general view of at least the west half of the Black Hills and the greater part of the Bear Lodge range, and many incipient forest fires have been discovered from the point in time to avert one of the great destruction." (The Times- Sundance)
October 6, 1921: "A fire was reported to the Forest Supervisor by the Cement Ridge Lookout at 12:15 Monday noon. It is located in Grand Canyon near the Wyoming line. Lumberman Peterson was dispatched by automobile from this city with tools and supplies for the fire fighters." (The Weekly Pioneer Times)
April 25, 1923: "The Cement Ridge Lookout will not be opened for some time, since the snow is still very deep in the Limestone region." (The Deadwood Telegram)
September 18, 1928: "There are some places in the Black Hills where the wind blows hard and fast, but these heavy gales always pass over Deadwood, the city just receiving a touch from them at times. However, in some of the towns on the edge of the Hills, where the wind sweeps in from off the prairies, it has been known to blow gales so hard that every movable thing has had to be tied down to keep from moving away. Lookout Tinsley, who is located high up in the Limestone range, on Cement Ridge, where he watches for fires in the Black Hills forest reserve, in a telephone report to Deadwood headquarters of the service, yesterday stated that on Friday night and Saturday morning he had quite an experience with old Boreas, and for a time he thought that the old fellow was going to get him and the lookout station also. Starting in the early in the evening the wind began to blow a gentle gale, and by the time midnight had been reached it was whistling by the lookout station at the rate of 92 miles an hour, and everything that had not been fastened down was moving along with it. Rain and sleet accompanied the wind, and on the wings of the gale it seemed that every conceivable article on the ridge was riding. It was a fierce wind while it lasted, but fortunately did not do very much damage to the timber or the homes scattered about in that region. The lookout station, however, is strongly and safely anchored, and while it was shaken considerably, did not move. Mr. Tinsley declared that he was very well pleased when it blew itself out." (Deadwood Pioneer-Times)
October 23, 1928: "On Cement Ridge L.C. Tinsley kept a lonely vigil, but there was enough to keep his attention engaged night and day to prevent his suffering from ennui; and nature's wild and himself became friends, for none of the forest dwellers seemed to be a bit afraid of him, and he did not do anything to make them afraid." (Deadwood Pioneer-Times)
April 13, 1937: "Four weather stations will be established in the Black Hills national forest, according to C.C. Averill, acting supervisor. The stations will probably be at Nemo, Hardy Ranger station, Cement Ridge the lookout, and at Sundance, although it has not been definitely decided.
The stations will be equipped with instruments for measuring wind velocity, humidity in the air, temperatures, and amount of moisture in the ground. These stations will enable the rangers to predict how susceptible the forest is to fire and enable them to organize to better advantage by knowing when critical fire conditions prevail." (Evening Huronite)
1941: A new lookout structure was constructed by the CCC.
August 31, 1950: "James H. Fuhrmann will be lookout at Cement Ridge for the remainder of the season." (Lead Daily Call) Note: The regular lookout was moved to Terry Peak when that station was completed.