HUNTERS PEAK
Park County - Shoshone National Forest
September 28, 1912: "Material is being hauled from Cody to Hunters Peak, two miles from Crandall creek, to build a Lookout Cabin for the Forestry Department. Hunters Peak as it is called commands a view of a large area. From here one can see over into the Park, to the state line, and over all the surrounding mountains in the immediate vicinity. The cabin will be built on the very top. It will be eight feet square with windows in it on all sides in accordance with the style of a real observatory. A telephone will be placed inside so that direct connection can be had with the Cody office.
Just below the observatory, another cabin will be built near water where the Ranger of that territory can live. The Forestry Dept.with the aid of this station hopes to be able to catch a forest fire before it gets a start in any section, and during the dangerous periods a man will be located there permanently.
This method of placing Lookout stations has been found to be very practical and useful in other sections of the country. Often a fire has been observed by them, in an outlaying district, before the ranger of the threatened territory knew it himself, and thus considerable damage and money has been saved by this scheme.
The local forestry department is to be commended for the able and industrious manner in which they are meeting the difficulties and dangers under their jurisdiction." (Park County Enterprise)
Just below the observatory, another cabin will be built near water where the Ranger of that territory can live. The Forestry Dept.with the aid of this station hopes to be able to catch a forest fire before it gets a start in any section, and during the dangerous periods a man will be located there permanently.
This method of placing Lookout stations has been found to be very practical and useful in other sections of the country. Often a fire has been observed by them, in an outlaying district, before the ranger of the threatened territory knew it himself, and thus considerable damage and money has been saved by this scheme.
The local forestry department is to be commended for the able and industrious manner in which they are meeting the difficulties and dangers under their jurisdiction." (Park County Enterprise)
September 28, 1912: "Jack Rollinson took out a four horse load of material Thursday for the new Lookout Cabin on Hunters Peak in Sunlight." (Park County Enterprise)
May 7, 1913: "The following is a memorandum of the most important points taken up with Col. Brett at the meeting held at Butte on April 28:
The Hunter Peak lookout station in the northern portion of the Shoshone Forest has indirect control of a portion of the northern part of the Park. Fires however can be discovered within the Park from the lookout station only when smoke has risen to a considerable extent from the timber. A man will be kept on the Hunter Peak lookout, which is connected by telephone with the entire system of the Shoshone forest, and with the Park system, and this lookout can be depended upon to report fires both in northern portion of the forest and the Park.
Col. Brett has established two lookout points near the eastern border of the Park, which he hopes to reached daily by the soldiers from Soda Butte Station on patrol. Approximately thirty men can be obtained for fire fighting from Cooke, Montana, and about half a dozen from Crandall Creek. Six soldiers will be available for fire fighting at Soda Butte Station, and as many as a hundred soldiers may be obtained for fire fighting there in the Forest or the Park within a few days time. Sufficient provisions are usually kept at the Soda Butte Station to supply the six men stationed there for thirty days, and these provisions may be had at any time from the Fort, and can be forwarded to the territory along the border of the Park and Forest within one days time." (Park County Enterprise)
November 5, 1913: "The forest service has just completed the construction of a lookout station at the summit of Hunter peak in the Crandall creek district. The building is a substantial one, is 13x13 feet in size, with a lookout tower 8x8. The station will be fitted up with telescopic alidades and other scientific instruments needed for the detection of fire in the surrounding country, and during the months of August, September and October a man will occupy the building. These three months are called the fire season. In case of a forest fire it may easily be detected from this vantage point. A telephone line has been completed direct to the office in Cody. By means of this line the lookout is able to communicate information to one or more of the rangers as well as to headquarters. If the fire is a big one, the Cody office will communicate with Billings and Cooke city, and men may be sent to the scene of the conflagration from those two points as well as from Cody. In this way the service has practically controlled the situation, and it must necessarily be a big fire that will get away from them.: (Park County Enterprise)
July 1, 1914: "The Forest Service is making preparations to institute some much needed repairs on the Cody-Sunlight telephone line, which extends from Cody to Sunlight basin and Crandall creek. Approximately fifteen miles of this line will be placed in what might be termed a permanent condition.
A number of poles fall each year on this line, owing to the age of the poles and their failure to withstand the heavy winds. To prevent this, the local office expects to purchase cedar stubs which will be set and wired to the poles, thus strengthening and increasing the life of the latter to about twelve years.
This method of repairing old lines is followed by some commercial companies and is found to be satisfactory. Most of the work will be done by contract and it is hoped that it will be completed by early fall. The Sunlight line is of great value in the administration of the Shoshone Forest and is also used very extensively by various ranchmen, merchants and others. It is of most importance as a means of fire protection since it connects directly with the Hunter Peak Lookout Station which controls a large part of the northern end of the Forest." (Park County Enterprise)
August 15, 1914: "Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Braten and children left for Crandall creek. Arthur will take the work at Lookout Station." (Park County Enterprise)
Removed