COLORADO LOOKOUTS
DEVIL'S HEAD
Douglas County
Pike National Forest
Pike National Forest
April 20, 1913: "After several years of investigation and experiment, the forest service reached the conclusion that the conditions in the vicinity of the Devil's head, on Platte mountain, 10,000 feet high. were the most favorable in the Pike forest, and the station was located at that point. Geographically, Devil's head is 42 miles north of Colorado Springs and 33 miles south on Denver, a point that permits a view of practically the entire watershed forest.
The summit of Devil's head, a gigantic sawtooth formation, extends over a distance of half a mile in an easterly and westerly direction, and practically the same distance in a southerly and northerly direction. It consists of a series of perpendicular cliffs lying in the shape of a horseshoe, the top of which rises to an elevation of more than 1,500 feet above the forest covered slopes of the surrounding country, and 10,000 feet above sea level. On one of these cliffs, the highest in the group, the lookout station is perched.
After selecting the towering crag as a home for the fire lookout, it was no small task to make access to it possible. Between the crags in a small forest covered glen below, known to forest service men as as Hell's Half Acre, a gigantic pine 100 feet high was felled so that it dropped between the rocks and formed a rough ladder. It is known as ladder No. 1, sets at an angle of 45 degrees and is the first of several others that the fire lookout has to climb to reach his cabin.
On the crag near the lookout's abode is fixed an observation table on which is spread a map, glass covered, of the entire forest area, and arranged in such a manner that by means of a small instrument, known as an alidade, the lookout is able to take a sight on the smoke arising from any part of the reserve and determine instantly the location of a fire. (Colorado Springs Gazette)
The summit of Devil's head, a gigantic sawtooth formation, extends over a distance of half a mile in an easterly and westerly direction, and practically the same distance in a southerly and northerly direction. It consists of a series of perpendicular cliffs lying in the shape of a horseshoe, the top of which rises to an elevation of more than 1,500 feet above the forest covered slopes of the surrounding country, and 10,000 feet above sea level. On one of these cliffs, the highest in the group, the lookout station is perched.
After selecting the towering crag as a home for the fire lookout, it was no small task to make access to it possible. Between the crags in a small forest covered glen below, known to forest service men as as Hell's Half Acre, a gigantic pine 100 feet high was felled so that it dropped between the rocks and formed a rough ladder. It is known as ladder No. 1, sets at an angle of 45 degrees and is the first of several others that the fire lookout has to climb to reach his cabin.
On the crag near the lookout's abode is fixed an observation table on which is spread a map, glass covered, of the entire forest area, and arranged in such a manner that by means of a small instrument, known as an alidade, the lookout is able to take a sight on the smoke arising from any part of the reserve and determine instantly the location of a fire. (Colorado Springs Gazette)
November 22, 1913: "The fire protection system on the Pike national forest is not only complete but efficient. In the summer time 22 officers are constantly patrolling the million and a quarter acres of forest land, while a lookout guard stationed on Devil's Head mountain at an elevation of 10,000 feet sweeps the forest with a glass for fires from daylight to dark. This system of lookout protection combined with patrol has been found to produce highly satisfactory results." (Colorado Springs Gazette)
May 31, 1915: "The assignment of a forest guard to the summit of the Devil's Head on the Pike National Forest today is regarded by forestry officials here as the opening of the forest fire season in the central Colorado mountains. Two or three small early season fires have been reported to the local forestry office but the heavy rains during the last two weeks have delayed the hazard until this time.
The Devil's Head fire lookout station is the most interesting of the many lookouts in the central Rockies. This mountain, clearly seen from Denver and distinguished by its proximity to Pike's Peak, rises 10,000 feet above sea level. Its summit is crowned by a precipitous boulder, a thousand feet high, from the pinnacle of which the lookout will guard the million acres of forests within view of the station. From now until October snows put an end to the fire season, every smoke arising from the forest will be suspiciously studied and every fire threatening the destruction of national forest timber will be reported by the lookout to the ranger on whose district the fire is located.
To facilitate the location and reporting of fires the station is equipped with a high-powered field glass, a plane-table map showing the location of every topographic feature on the forest, and a telephone connecting the lookout with the several ranger headquarters on the Pike forest and the supervisor's headquarters at Denver." (Carbonate Chronicle - Leadville)
May 16, 1919: "Miss Helen Dowe has accepted a position as lookout for the forestry service and will spend the summer on Devil's Head mountain, forty miles southwest of Denver. It will be her duty to report forest fires in the surrounding area of 7,000 square miles, which includes Pike's Peak. Miss Dowe is the first woman lookout to be chosen for this important work in the Colorado-Wyoming district." (Routt County Republican)
December 31, 1920: "Following two successful seasons, during which pretty Miss Helen Dowe of this city (Denver), in her capacity of forest fire lookout, has discovered more than a score of incipient blazes, officials of the National Forest service are convinced that women are equally qualified as men in the art of chasing down the tiny wisps of smoke that sometimes lead to serious conflagrations in the thickly wooded districts of the Rocky mountains.
From June until October Miss Dowe lives on the summit of Devil's Head peak, 9,300 feet high above sea level and 65 miles southwest of Denver.
From sunrise to sunset Miss Dowe scans the horizon, sweeping the thousands of acres of forest land beneath her powerful glass, constantly alert for the least sign of smoke, which often means birth of the terror of the timber country--the forest fire.
There are no Sundays or holidays for Miss Dowe. Occasionally, after a heavy downpour of rain or when clouds obscure the earth below, she gets a brief respite. Going to the fire lookout station early in the summer, she must cook her own meals and perform all the work necessary to keep her cabin and lookout station in repair. She must chop her own firewood and carry her own water. Previous to assuming her duties as forest fire lookout, Miss Dowe was a Denver newspaper woman." (Routt County Sentinel)
May 6, 1921: "Miss Helen Dowe of the United States forest service of Denver has left for Rico, Colo., with a forest service surveying party, thus winning the honor of being the first woman in the entire United States to join a party in that department of the governmental service. She is a scenic artist for the Denver division during winter months and a patrol woman and "fire lookout" at Devil Head mountain in the Pike National forest during the fire season. On her trip she will be accompanied by her chaperon, Mrs. Grace Stewart of Denver." (Eagle Valley Enterprise - Eagle)
July 14, 1922: "Mr. Du Pree of the Lookout Station on Devil's Head, was in town Wednesday." (Castle Rock Record-Journal of Douglas County)
June 18, 1926: "Construction of a new loop for the scenic Devil's Head highway in the Pike National Forest, is the latest project looking to the betterment of the region's scenic drives. Forestry crews will be put to work on the project today, with A.G. Hamel, supervisor, leaving early this morning to start the work.
The road is one of the most popular drives in the northern part of the Pike jurisdiction, and is heavily patronized by Pikes Peak region motorists during the summer. The road leads up to the Devil's Head lookout station.
The new loop will go far in making the road safe for travel, Mr. Hamel said. The loop will be constructed at the head of the road where, at present, a big tourist automobile camp is located." (Record Journal of Douglas County)
April 29, 1927: "Mr. J.O. Eade is in the U.S. forest service at their nursery near Monument where he will remain until time to assume his duties as operator of the Lookout Station on Devil's Head in the Pike's Peak National Forest domain." (Castle Rock Record-Journal of Douglas County)
June 22, 1928: "Mrs. J. O. Eade drove up to lookout Station on Devils Head Mountain in the Pikes Peak National Reserve, where Mr. Eade is employed." (Castle Rock Record-Journal of Douglas County)
August 17, 1928: "J.O. Eade, in charge of the Devil's Head Fire Lookout Station for the Forestry Department, came down on Wednesday of last week for a two-days leave of absence. On Thursday he and Mrs. Eade celebrated their wedding anniversary, which also happened to be Mr. Eade's birthday anniversary." (Record Journal of Douglas County)
October 26, 1928: "Mr. J.O. Eade has come down from the government lookout station on Devil's Head, where the season has been closed upon the arrival of our big snow storm last week." (Castle Rock Record-Journal of Douglas County)
June 12, 1931: "Mr. Harold Higginson is the operator of the U.S. Lookout station on Devil's Head in the Pike's Peak National Forest Reservation this season." (Castle Rock Record-Journal of Douglas County)
September 23, 1932: "Mr. Higginson says that he has reported 22 fires so far this summer. He also stated that a great number of tourists have visited the Lookout Station on Devil's Head peak this summer. Decoration Day drew the most tourists, with 353 registered for that day. Labor Day there were 208 who visited the station, and last Sunday 205." (Record Journal of Douglas County)
December 31, 1937: "The Devils Head picnic ground and the lookout tower on the summit of Devils Head Peak were popular with the public. A new trail has been completed to the summit of the Peak and it is expected that large numbers of people will make the trip to this lookout tower next season." (Castle Rock Record-Journal)
July 4, 1941: "When asked about the storm, Mr. Harold Higginson, fire lookout at Devil's Head, reported that it seemed to be a cross between a cyclone and a tornado. At any rate, after viewing the path of the storm, it was evident it was a 'cross.' He said there was an eighty-five mile an hour wind and hail stones over an inch in diameter. He also said the little glass house on top of Devil's Head, where he spends his time looking for forest fires, 'trembled' during the storm. He reported that it got so dark that he couldn't read a newspaper." (Record Journal of Douglas County)
October 17, 1941: "Mr. Harold Higginson came down from Devil's Head on Thursday. The Lookout Station there has been closed for the season." (Castle Rock Record-Journal of Douglas County)
April 1942: "Miss Helen Dowe, one of the women Forest workers of the World War I period, 'manned' the Pike National Forest's primary fire lookout on Devil's Head for several seasons. Intriguing feature of current personnel adjustments is the extent to which local women will replace men serving in the armed forces or employed in war industries.
Service-wide policy now permits the employment, during war conditions where qualified men cannot be hired, of properly qualified women at lookout stations when, in the opinion of the Regions, they can qualify as local dependent citizens, are not required to go to fires, and special circumstances apply which make the employment of lady lookouts appropriate.
Miss Dowe married John Burgess, one-time R-2 engineer. Mrs. Burgess has retained her interest in forestry and has given many talks about her experience." (Forest Service Bulletin - Vol. 26, No. 4)
May 29, 1942: "On Wednesday of this week, Mr. Harold Higginson from the south end of the county, in company with Forest Ranger R.M. Bradshaw, stopped for a while in Castle Rock on their way up to Devil's Head, where Mr. Higginson will be in charge of the fire lookout station there which is maintained by the U.S. Forest Service." (Record Journal of Douglas County)
June 12, 1942: "A Denver youth, Jack Taylor, was instantly killed when struck by lightning while standing on the porch of the cabin at the foot of the rock, where Harold Higginson, the fire lookout. makes his home while on duty at that station. Taylor and four other Denver boys had gone to Devil's Head that day for an outing. Wm. Johnson, one of the boys, was stunned by the same lightning bolt, while the other two boys, who were also standing on the porch, were uninjured." (Record Journal of Douglas County)
July 23, 1943: "A fire starting in the hay field during the noon hour on Wednesday of this week, caused heavy loss on the George Manhart ranch on Garber Creek. It is thought that the fire was started from a power buck rake which was being used to put up hay.
The fire lookout on Devil's Head reported the blaze to Sheriff Campbell. Soon many neighbors rushed in to the scene and in addition firemen from Sedalia and Castle Rock responded to a call for help." (Record Journal of Douglas County)
May 25, 1944: "For the second time, because of wartime manpower shortages, a woman's keen eye will spot forest fires in this section of Colorado. E.S. Keithley, Pike National Forest Supervisor, announced that tomorrow Mrs. Ginger Douglas of Cascade, Colo., will take charge of Devil's Head lookout, a high point west of Castle Rock commanding a panorama of a vast stretch of timber." (The Greeley Daily Tribune)
November 29, 1956: "Mr. and Mrs. Tom Fierce, have moved from the Lookout on Devil's Head to the Rampart Ranger's Station." (Douglas County News)
February 23, 2003: "The Devil's Head Lookout Tower is the last operational fire tower of 11 on the front range of the Colorado Rockies, southwest of Denver. The original lookout was a table with a fire-finder bolted to a rock at a point with a 360-degree view of the Pike National Forest. A glass enclosed lookout was built in 1919, then reconstructed in 1951 with the help of 100 men and 72 mules. In 1991, the lookout was placed on the National Register of Historic Places." (The Mexia Daily News - Texas)