MEDICINE BOW PEAK
Albany County - Medicine Bow National Forest
Below: Set of images taken on September 10, 2019 by Alan Silverstein showing remains of the telephone line system on the peak.
July 31, 1909: "The contract awarded to M.F. Reed for a telephone line between Centennial and Medicine Bow peak, by way of Speer lake, the Centennial Commercial club having taken a lively interest in this work. This line will be eleven miles in length and will be free from Centennial to Medicine Bow peak." (Laramie Republican)
August 12, 1909: "Supervisor P.S. Lovejoy returned last night from a trip of inspection to the end of the new telephone line to the top of Medicine Bow peak from Centennial, and reports excellent progress, with the prospect of having the line ready for operation by the end of the present month." (Laramie Republican)
July 6, 1910: "Fred J. Miller of Keystone has been recommended for appointment as lookout on Medicine Bow peak and will leave tomorrow for that place." (Laramie Republican)
September 7, 1911: "Tomorrow a system of smoke signals will be tried out in the Medicine Bow forest with the smoke stove on Snowy Range. The system is simple. Tar covered wood will be burned and the signals will be streams of smoke. The number will indicate the location of the fire. The stream of smoke for five seconds will mean Foxpark, two streams of five seconds each with a period of five seconds between will mean Keystone, and so on." (Laramie Daily Boomerang)
September 9, 1911: "Forester F.J. Miller, who is stationed at the top of Snowy Range at Lookout Station, has been supplied with a Sibley stove and 45 feet of pipe with which to signal other rangers in case of fire. Friday the signaling device was put to a test with a blaze agitated with coal tar, and the smoke could be seen for many miles." (Centennial Post)
July 13, 1912: "The phone line of the forest service, from Brooklyn lake to the top of Medicine Bow peak, is now in working order and Supervisor Granger last Friday talked with the lookout there. Mr. Miller the ranger who occupies the lonely spot during the summer and fall, says there are still worlds of snow on the mountain, it being ten feet deep in many places in the timber. It is mostly gone in the parks and grass is fine." (Centennial Post)
September 21, 1912: "The lookout on Medicine Bow national forest telephoned to the Laramie Boomerang office Monday morning, saying that two feet of snow had fallen there, and that it was drifting badly at the time. He does not expect the snow to go off this fall, so deep are some of the drifts becoming." (Centennial Post)
October 9, 1912: "Mark Edick, the forest officer from the Hayden national forest, who went to Medicine Bow peak lookout station to make a map of the part of his forest visible from there, was compelled to return to Encampment without accomplishing anything. The snow was so deep and the weather so stormy that map making could not be carried on. F.J. Miller, who has been stationed on top of the peak during the summer, has been transferred to Foxpark for the rest of the season, there no longer being any need of a lookout on the peak." (The Daily Boomerang)
December 25, 1912: "During the field season just ended there was expended a trifle over $8,500 for permanent improvements in the forest. In expending this sum the forest officers concentrated chiefly on projects of direct benefit in the fire protection scheme. Under projects of this class were constructed 23 miles of road, three miles of trail, 23 miles of telephone lines, two fire lookout towers and one bridge.
The chief project was the telephone line connecting the ranger station on the north end of the forest with Elk mountain one way and the Medicine Bow lookout and the Laramie office the other way. Owing to adverse weather conditions the Medicine Bow lookout end of the line was not completed, but will be pushed through early next spring." (Cheyenne State Leader)
July 19, 1913: "A fire was reported to the forestry officials by Fred Miller last Saturday afternoon as raging on the lookout point of Medicine Bow Peak. The forestry men at Fox Park were immediately notified but the fire had covered as acre of ground before it was extinguished.
The fire was located between Spring creek and Muddy creek. Lightning was the cause of the fire." (Centennial Post)
August 23, 1913: "Claude May, John Atkinson and the editor climbed aboard horses Sunday and hied themselves to the hills for a day's outing, their road leading to Fred J. Miller's cabin, at the base of Lookout peak.
Upon reaching their destination, they made up a crowd of a dozen, the rest of the party gathering from points near by, consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Wills, Misses Helen Nelson, Mildred Hood, Bibianna and Willden Kinney, Dr. Y.R. Balmer, Ranger Francis and the genial host.
After enjoying a brief concert by Mr. Miller on the accordion, who is a past master on this instrument, target shooting with small calibre rifles and taking snap shots with various Kodaks, the party started homeward, the trails leading the same way for some distance. John and Claude were persuaded to remain, the attraction being a bonfire at which all had a good time, the editor being forced to return on account of other business.
One word about the location of the cabin. It is situated down a small valley, alongside a very pretty lake. Directly above rises the Lookout peak, composed of practically solid rock, upon the top of which is built the lookout station, where Mr. Miller keeps daily watch for forest fires." (Centennial Post)
September 16, 1913: "Fred Miller, fire lookout on Medicine Bow peak, reported to the forest supervisor's office this morning, a two inch snowfall and stated that the temperature had dropped to 24." (Laramie Republican)
September 17, 1913: "Lookout Miller of the Medicine Bow Peak reports some good rains in the last few days, which have tended to lessen the danger of forest fires. He informed Mr. Coughlin, the chief clerk in the office here, that the fish in the lakes on the mountains are no longer rising to flies and that fishermen must hereafter use worms. To help out the matter, Mr. Coughlin has furnished Mr. Miller with a good can of angleworms from his garden here, which the lookout will plant for future growth near one of the best lakes." (Laramie Republican)
September 18, 1913: "Fred Miller, the lookout on Medicine Bow peak, reported a column of smoke this morning, rising near the Buckeye ranch, about twenty miles away and an investigation is being made." (Laramie Republican)
October 8, 1913: "Lookout Fred Miller of the Medicine Bow peak station in the Medicine Bow national forest last night reported two feet of snow there and still falling, and that the snow had begun to crust over, the weather being very cold. He telephoned to Supervisor Duthie, who ordered him to close up the station for the winter and leave for the Foxpark station, where he will be more comfortable." (Laramie Republican)
May 9, 1914: "Fred J. Miller came in on the train yesterday for a short visit with Centennial friends. He has been in the Horse Creek country this winter trapping and reports rather flattering success in that line. He will go from here to Foxpark where he will work in a tie camp till about June 1, when he will resume his position with the forest service as lookout at the station on Snowy Range." (Centennial Post)
May 15, 1914: "Mr. and Mrs. W.F. Wills left today for Centennial, where they will spend the summer, Mr. Wills being connected with the forest service. He and Fred J. Miller, a forest guard, are planning to begin the work of repairing the telephone line between Centennial and Medicine Bow peak. Wherever they find a pole rotted off they will reset it and brace it with a couple of posts, the process being called 'stubbing.' The line is to be put in first-class shape. Centennial will be their working headquarters during the work." (Laramie Republican)
June 23, 1914: "Fred J. Miller, the forestry lookout at Medicine Bow peak, in a telephone message to Chief Clerk Louis Coughlin of the forest office in this city, stated that it is now possible to reach Brooklyn lake with a wagon, but there is still considerable snow, and the snow is not likely to be all gone before the middle of July. The wagon road is in fairly good shape. There is less snow than at this time last year." (Laramie Republican)
August 22, 1914: "Assistant Supervisor Jeffers took a horseback trip to the south end of Sheep mountain Sunday, to investigate a fire that had been located by Lookout Miller. He found a sheepherder burning sage brush unconcerned as though there was no law against such procedure." (Centennial Post)
September 26, 1914: "Lookout Miller of the Medicine Bow forest reserve on Medicine Bow peak this afternoon reported a large forest fire northeast of Laramie peak, about twenty miles, and Chief Clerk Louis Coughlin of this city immediately telephoned to Chief Baker of Cheyenne, who will order men to put it out." (Laramie Republican)
October 26, 1914: "The lookout at Medicine Bow peak reports fine weather yesterday and another fine day today. All over the Medicine Bow forest there are similar conditions." (Laramie Republican)
June 26, 1915: "The forestry office has received word from Forest Guard F.J. Miller, the lookout at Medicine Bow peak, that he has just finished an inspection from the peak west to French creek canyon, and finds that there is more snow about the timber line at this time than at the same season for several years, while below the line the forest is getting dry. Mr. Miller will resume his place as lookout tomorrow, to guard against possibilities of fire." (Laramie Republican)
August 14, 1915: "Assistant Forester Stahl of Denver and Supervisor G.A. Duthie of the Medicine Bow forest reserve dined with Ranger Miller yesterday, at the crest of the Snowy range, on Medicine Bow peak, an excellent menu of government rations being served." (Laramie Republican)
October 21, 1915: "Fred J. Miller, the lookout at Medicine Bow peak, has been appointed as the official trapper for the winter on the Platte river and in Douglas creek district, and left today for Cheyenne, and will go from there to Wheatland to collect his traps. He will return to this forest in a few days and begin his operations." (Laramie Republican)
June 22, 1916: "Chief Clerk Lewis Coughlin, in charge of the office of the Medicine Bow forest reserve here, this morning heard from Leo Chase, the forest ranger at Seven-Mile, and from Ranger Dixson at the Medicine Bow peak lookout, that snow was falling at both places and that the air was quite chilly. This seems to account for the wave of cold air that enveloped this valley during the forenoon today." (Laramie Republican)
September 18, 1917: "Lookout Wichmann at the Medicine Bow peak today reported a small fire south of the peak, in the direction of Pinkham mountain, and was directed to report the progress, if any, of the fire." (Laramie Republican)
October 1, 1917: "Gerald Wichmann, who has been acting as lookout for the forest service at the Medicine Bow peak, has resigned that position and will remain here until he has been called to the colors, having been accepted as a soldier of the United States, and who expects to be enlisted within the next few weeks. A.J. Zimmerman has been sent to the peaks as the lookout. Fred L. Martin and C.F. Bliss of the forest service, who have been surveying for a telephone line from Centennial to the Medicine Bow peak lookout, came in from that city Saturday. Mr. Martin went to Gramm and Mr. Bliss to Foxpark. Mr. Wichmann says that all the snow has gone from the peak and that the weather for the past few days has been ideal." (Laramie Republican)
October 8, 1917: "A large smoke was observed yesterday, from the Lookout station at Medicine Bow peak, and Rangers Chase and Zimmerman investigated, finding that the smoke was from burning sagebrush on a ranch just outside the reserve. No damage was done." (Daily Laramie Republican)
August 16, 1918: "Earl S. Peirce, supervisor of the Medicine Bow district of the federal forest service returned home yesterday from Medicine Bow Peak where he has been for the last few days on a tour of inspection work. Mr. Peirce was accompanied by H.R. Kylie, telephone engineer for this district." (Laramie Boomerang)
May 27, 1919: "George Goold, a miner in the national forest, has been assigned to duty, effective June 1, as forest guard at the Medicine Bow peak lookout." (Laramie Republican)
July 11, 1919: "Fire Guard Gould yesterday reported two smokes near Medicine Bow Peak. Investigation developed that one was on Big Creek, outside the limits of the national forest, while the other was near Wyocolo. Ranger Williams reported smoke in North Park, and the information was communicated to Ranger Miriam at Camp Creek for investigation." (Laramie Daily Boomerang)
September 23, 1919: "The forestry office here reports that two inches of snow fell in the reservation about Brooklyn lake last Sunday. The lookout upon Medicine Bow Peak has discontinued his work for the winter as the snow makes the possibility of fire remote. During the summer a new observatory has been built upon the peak in a very substantial manner, with glass upon all sides. The lookout is also now provided with a table and map which is so orientated that the exact direction of a fire can be made by compass with no opportunity for mistake." (Laramie Daily Boomerang)
August 5, 1920: "Announcement is made by the officials of the Medicine Bow forest that John S. Rogers of Texas has been employed as a forest guard and will be sent to the lookout station on Medicine Bow peak. From this point, at an altitude of 12,005 feet, the lookout has under his eye a very large area of the forest, and in case of fire he can communicate by telephone with various rangers in the forest as well as with the supervisor's headquarters at Laramie. The lookout station is almost 1500 feet almost straight up from Lakes Mirror and Marie, which are the favorite haunts of the many fishermen who go into the mountains from this side of the range. Forty-two lakes are visible to the naked eye from the summit of this peak." (Saratoga Sun)
April 5, 1921: "Consideration of a number of applications for two Forest Guard positions during the fire season will be considered this week. For the past few years applications for these positions have been very few but this year there are on file a great many applications. One of the Guard positions to be filed is the lookout at Medicine Bow Peak where a man is kept thru out the entire fire season to watch for smokes. The entire Medicine Bow forest and large portions of the Hayden and Colorado are covered by the primary lookout on Medicine Bow Peak. An observatory on the very highest point which was started last year will be finished this season. It is hoped that in the near future this lookout will be connected up by wireless telephone. It is now connected by a grounded line and the cost of maintenance is comparatively great. The second guard position is on Fox Park District where District Forest Ranger Van Ende is given assistance on account of the comparatively great fire hazard caused by the railroad which traverses the Fox Park District." (Laramie Boomerang)
May 20, 1921: "Walter L. Criss of Uva, Wyoming, near Wheatland has accepted a position of Forest Guard during the coming fire season and will be stationed at the primary lookout on Medicine Bow Peak, the highest point in the Medicine Bow Mountains in Wyoming." (Laramie Boomerang)
June 7, 1921: "Forest Assistant Jim Walley left today for Fox Park, where he will aid Ranger Williams in the surveying of the Sevenmile district. Walley will also assist in the installation of a lookout guard atop the Medicine Bow peak." (Laramie Boomerang)
June 10, 1921: "Forest Assistant Walley, Ranger Williams and Forest guard Criss will essay the trip to Medicine Bow peak today. They expect to make Brooklyn lake or the Lookout station at the foot of the peak tonight but may have to snowshoe part way. The first trip to the peak, 12,005 feet high, each season to install the fire lookout, is quite a 'chore' since it means bucking snow for several miles. The lookout must be installed early owing to the fact that the lower country, particularly in the vicinity of Foxpark opens up long before the snow leaves the higher levels of the forest." (Laramie Boomerang)
August 26, 1921: "Miss Lorraine Lindsley, the forest service lookout at Medicine Bow peak, the highest station on the Snowy range, reported by telephone today that the forenoon was fair, the first clear day that she had seen for some time. Sixty-four visitors have called at that lookout so far this season. The weather here was fair last night, for the greater part of the time, and again this forenoon. There was some indication of rain late in the afternoon, and the sky at sunset was overcast and beautiful." (Laramie Republican)
September 23, 1921: "Miss Lorraine Lindsley of Centennial, Wyo., a former student at the University of Wyoming, recently entered upon her duties as observer upon the Medicine Bow peak, as lookout at the highest point occupied by a woman in the Medicine Bow national forest, if not in the Rocky Mountains.
She is the daughter of A.F. Lindsley, a well known mining man of the Centennial district. She was born at Cheyenne, but has lived for the last 11 years at Centennial, having spent a part of each summer in that time in the mountains at the foot of which the village of Centennial nestles. She is well suited for and trained to this most necessary, sometimes dangerous, and at all times lonesome work, isolated from any neighbor except the summer residents at Brooklyn lake.
This lookout is on the highest point within the Medicine Bow national forest, 12,005 feet above sea level, and within a small glassed-in shelter house, miles away from the nearest mountain resident. Miss Lindsay maintains a constant vigil over the thousands of acres within the forest reserve. Here a stand of 3,500,000,000 feet of timber, valued at $10,000,000 is supported.
At the base of the peak, and in the protected shelter of the deformed spruce trees commonly found at timber line as the result of constant wind currents which prevent tree growth form but one side of the tree, is a small one-room rock cabin, which serves as a home for the lookout observer from early June until late in September. Early each morning, before the night's frost has disappeared from the grass blades and rocks, this girl observer begins the climb from her cabin house up over boulders, rock slides, and even banks of perpetual snow, for 1,500 feet, over a trail only passable on foot, to her position upon the topmost peak. Here, on the topmost pinnacle of the mountain, from early morning until twilight, with the entire range under view and under direct observation through the use of powerful binoculars, suspicious columns are picked up, reported to forest ranger or supervisor by telephone, and investigations are promptly made to determine the accurate location of the fire, the fire fighters dispatched immediately to the scene before the fires have had opportunity to gain headway." (Sheridan Enterprise)
September 30, 1921: "Thursday was a very bad day for the Medicine Bow forest fire department and it's co-operators. A high wind began early in the morning and the wind meter at Medicine Bow peak indicated that it maintained a velocity of over 60 miles per hour during most of the day. This high wind was general throughout the forest and, in fact, throughout the region. Before noon the fire troubles began. Miss Lindsley picked up first a smoke near the head of Ward's gulch, north of Centennial. This turned out to be a mystery smoke for after the first puff it disappeared and forest officers were unable to find it.
About noon Miss Lindsley reported a smoke in the vicinity of Foxpark which turned out to be a fire that threatened for a time to wipe out Foxpark. It was a forest fire started by a spark from the Burns pool hall, which, fortunately is on the east side of the tracks and the wind blew from the west. Strenuous efforts on the part of the entire settlement prevented this fire from attaining large proportions in the driving gale.
Just at the critical time the telephone line from the Somber Hill lookout to Foxpark was wrecked by the wind and Forest Ranger Clarke had to make a wild ride from the lookout to Foxpark to report two smokes he had discovered. Also, coincidentally, the telephone line between line between the Medicine Bow peak lookout and Brooklyn Lake was wrecked so that Miss Lindsley, the fire lookout, had to make a trip to Brooklyn Lake ranger station to report several smokes.
Ranger Williams made emergency repairs to the Medicine Bow peak lookout line and got it in commission later in the evening. (Wyoming State Tribune)
October 10, 1921: "Miss Lorraine Lindsley of Centennial, Wyo., who has been fire lookout on Medicine Bow peak, which is the primary control point for the Medicine Bow national forest, resigned her position effective October 9, in order to re-enter the University of Wyoming. Ordinarily the fire season comes to an end about the end of September, but this year, owing to lack of snow, it has now extended ten days beyond the usual time, and A.E. Stewart of Centennial, will be assigned to the lookout at Medicine Bow peak as an emergency patrolman until the fire season is ended by a snowstorm." (Laramie Republican)
October 19, 1921: "Miss Lorraine Lindsley of Centennial, who was the fire lookout on Medicine Bow Peak, the highest lookout held by a woman in the United States, which is the primary control point for the Medicine Bow national forest, has resigned her position and will re-enter the University of Wyoming." (Park County Enterprise)
October 20, 1921: "The telephone line at the fire lookout observatory on top of Medicine Bow Peak developed trouble several days ago and after spending some time 'shooting the trouble' from Centennial to the top of the peak it was finally determined that the difficulty is occasioned by the extreme dryness on top of the peak, where the one wire line is grounded, and Emergency Patrolman Stewart is packing ice from one of the glaciers to the ground rod of the telephone line at the observatory in an effort to surmount the difficulty. On October 17 a heavy wind occurred throughout the forest, which blew down large numbers of trees and broke telephone communication in numerous places. Fortunately during the wind no forest fires started." (Daily Boomerang)
October 22, 1921: "Forest Ranger Williams, in charge of the Seven-Mile district of the Medicine Bow national forest, in which is the Snowy range, where there are a number of snow banks which are near glaciers, reports to the office of the supervisor here that, owing to the unseasonably warm weather and the unprecedented absence of the usual early snowfall, many of the drifts on the Snowy range have disappeared almost entirely, and portions of the ground are in the sunlight which have not been so before in the memory of the oldest inhabitant.
He also states that the waters in the mountain lakes are lower than ever noted heretofore, and that Lookout lake, at the base of Medicine Bow peak, is five feet lower than it was at its lowest point mast year. Trouble having developed on the telephone line to the lookout observatory on the peak, it was finally determined that the difficulty was occasioned by the extreme dryness on top of the peak, and Emergency Patrolman Stewart is carrying ice from one of the glaciers to the ground rod of the telephone line in an effort to surmount the difficulty.
A heavy wind uprooted trees and tore down telephone poles, but no forest fires were noted. So little snow has fallen in the mountains that there is no sign of any left where usually are heavy drifts at this season of the year. Supervisor Hilton is making a trip over portions of the forest on foot that are usually covered with snowshoes." (Fort Collins Courier - Fort Collins, Colorado)
November 1, 1921: "Miss Lorraine Lindsley of Centennial who has been employed as fire lookout on Medicine Bow peak, resigned that position on October 9 and has re-entered the university at Laramie. Ordinarily the fire danger season comes to an end about the first of October but this year, on account of the lack of snow, it has extended beyond the usual time, and A.E. Stewart of Centennial has been employed as lookout at the peak until the heavy fall of snow will reduce the danger of fire." (Wyoming Stockman-Farmer)
November 5, 1921: "Several weeks ago, Miss Lorraine Lindsley, the United States fire lookout on Medicine Bow peak, noticed a smoke arising for fifteen minutes and then it ceased. No fire was found, and the occurrence of the smoke was a mystery. Information has reached the local office that a moonshiner had built a fire, using gasoline as his fuel. Running out of oil, he used wood, which made a smoke, the lookout 'picking it up' from her station on the top of the mountain and reporting it." (Fort Collins Courier)
December 2, 1921: "When the telephone line to the fire lookout observatory atop of Medicine Bow peak showed 'trouble' fire patrolmen carried ice from one of the glaciers to restore the 'ground' near one of the poles." (New Castle News - Pennsylvania)
January 3, 1922: "Mr. Hilton (Forest Supervisor) said that a University of Wyoming co-ed was in charge of the principal lookout tower of the reservation during the summer months, and she proved that she could efficiently carry out the work. For days this girl stood watch on the topmost peak of the range without seeing a soul, but she was game and took a real interest in performing her task. He finds that it isn't necessarily the college trained man who can render the most efficient service. The ranger must be a jack-of-all-trades as well as a first-class diplomat, for a great deal of tact must be used in dealing with the cattle and sheep factions." (Laramie Republican)
March 16, 1922: "In accordance with the recently established policy, a woman will not be employed this season as lookout observer on the Medicine Bow peak within the Medicine Bow National forest.
This particular location is very isolated, being located at an elevation of 12,005 feet, the highest point in southeastern Wyoming, and from which the entire Medicine Bow forest, all of the eastern part of the Hayden forest, the northern part of the Colorado forest and a part of the National forests surrounding North Park, can be seen. This fire lookout is the only one maintained by the forest service in this region and is an extensively important one, because of the vast acres of merchantable timber subject to the fire hazard within these particular national forests. Women have been very satisfactory as observers at Medicine Bow peak and other forest service lookout stations, but because of the isolation, difficulties in secure supplies, and desirability of using the lookout observer on trail construction and other improvement work before the opening of the severe fire season, and during rainy periods, women lookouts will not be employed in this region in the future." (Laramie Republican)
May 29, 1922: "John M. Ramsey of Fort Collins has been appointed fire lookout for the Medicine Bow Peak district, according to announcement made today at the local forestry office. Ramsey arrived here last evening and will leave for his station at once." (Daily Boomerang)
June 11, 1922: "Forest Ranger Williams telephoned from Brooklyn Lake ranger station this morning to the effect that the trip from that point to Medicine Bow peak must be postponed for at least a week. The forest officers find the trail from Brooklyn Lake ranger station to the peak impassable and it is even impassable to pass over the remaining drifts early in the morning. This latter phase is an almost unprecendt5ed condition. It was necessary to leave the wagon about one and one-half miles below Brooklyn Lake ranger station. Mr. Williams said that the ground is very soft everywhere, water is bubbling up all over. They crossed a drift of snow 50 feet deep on the trail into the station, and drifts of five and ten feet in depth are scattered about everywhere, with lakes in between." (Laramie Boomerang)
June 12, 1922: "Ranger Williams and Guard Ramsey left this morning with their pack outfit to break trail to the Medicine Bow peak where Ramsey will begin his duties as fire lookout for that district." (Daily Boomerang)
June 22, 1922: "Reports reaching the forest supervisor's office here yesterday evening indicate that Forest Guard Ramsey on the Medicine Bow Peak lookout and Forest Guard Benham on the secondary lookout at Somber hill, picked up a smoke almost simultaneously. It was on radial 190 from Medicine Bow Peak and radial 245 from Foxpark which locates the fire from which the smoke emanated along the Walden-Encampment road just over the line in Colorado but outside the national forests." (Daily Boomerang)
July 10, 1922: "Forest Guard Ramsey, in charge of the primary fire lookout on Medicine Bow peak in the Medicine Bow national forest, reported this morning that a snow storm set in last night about 6:30 and continued through the night. This morning snow to a depth of one and one-half inches laid on top of the peak and at an altitude of 12,000 feet and the snow extended over a zone down as far as the 10,500-foot contour, receding in depth toward the lower altitude." (Daily Boomerang)
July 17, 1922: "District Forest Ranger Evan J. Williams, Jr., of the Sevenmile district, Medicine Bow National forest, is at Medicine Bow Peak and together with Ranger Milton E. Ames of Saratoga, Forest Assistant Walley, Forest Ranger Bode of Keystone, Forest Ranger Henry of the Bow district and Forest Guard Ramsey, is stringing the half mile span of telephone wire from the top of Medicine Bow Peak to Sugar Loaf. This work is being accomplished with extreme difficulty but will apparently eliminate the trouble heretofore experienced with line breakage on Medicine Bow Peak." (Daily Boomerang)
July 18, 1922: "The Forest Service is advertising for bids for the construction of a new combination fire observatory and living quarters to be erected atop the Medicine Bow peak, the highest point in southern Wyoming.
The materials for the construction of the building must be hauled by auto truck for a distance of twenty miles, fifteen miles by team, two miles by pack train and one mile by man pack." (Daily Boomerang)
August 10, 1922: "Lookout Ramsey, reporting from Medicine Bow peak lookout at 6 o'clock this morning, stated that a dense fog was prevailing at that time, and that it was damp and chilly. There was the appearance of a storm on the mountain during the forenoon." (Laramie Republican)
August 12, 1922: "Forest Guard Ramsey, stationed as lookout on Medicine Bow peak, within the Medicine Bow national forest, recently discovered a forest fire on the Bow river district. He immediately called the Bow ranger station and informed the wife of Ranger Henry of the fire.
The ranger was absent from the station and could not be reached, so Mrs. Henry caught up a horse and started out to find her husband. After saddling the horse she did not dare leave her two children, aged 1 1nd 3 years, alone, so placed them on the fence, rode up along side of the fence, pulled the children to her, placed one in front of her and the other to the back of her in the saddle and rode out into the forest and located and dispatched her husband to the fire." (Laramie Republican)
September 22, 1922: "Jack Kennaday of Saratoga, who has the contract for hauling the material for the new observatory on top of Medicine Bow peak, had the misfortune yesterday of wrecking a wagon, and the work is thus delayed several days." (Laramie Republican)
September 29, 1922: "Supervisor H.C. Hilton of the Medicine Bow national forest, has announced that the lookouts at the Medicine Bow peak, the highest point in the Medicine Bow mountains in Wyoming, and at Sombre hill will have to be continued after October 1, the date which, ordinarily these lookouts are laid off, on account of the extremely dry weather and the great fire hazard. John Ramsey, the lookout at Medicine Bow peak, is returning to Fort Collins, Colo., to re-enter the Colorado Agricultural college, and another lookout will be assigned.
Hilton says that if has been a long time, judging from the records of his office, since a lookout has been maintained in the forest after September 30.
A light snow fell at Brooklyn lake, but it lasted for a few minutes, and some rain was reported at Foxpark, but the fire danger is still very great." (Wyoming State Tribune)
October 10, 1922: "The Medicine Bow peak lookout today picked up a smoke coming from within the Colorado national forest. Local forestry officers in checking up on the fire reported it to be on Sand creek in the area between Little Bald mountain and Bull mountain. The 'smoke cloud' was discernible from here." (Daily Boomerang - Laramie)
October 13, 1922: "A real phenomenon occurred in the Medicine Bow peak section today, the lookout reporting that a pall of fog settled down upon the Snowy range while atop Medicine Bow peak it was clear and cold with the wind registering high velocity." (Daily Boomerang)
October 30, 1922: "S.J. Wiley, who is an expert powderman and used in the construction of some trails which required considerable 'shooting', was impressed into service as a primary fire lookout at Medicine Bow Peak when Forest Guard Ramsey left for school and Mr. Wiley has demonstrated his ability to spot and report smokes quickly and accurately, having scored several bulls-eyes since he has been on the peak. When the first snow renders the Forest safe from fire, Mr. Wiley will return to road and trail work on the Seven-mile District until the big snows come." (Daily Boomerang)
October 30, 1922: "Forest Guard Wiley will batten the hatches at the primary lookout and come down off the mountain tomorrow and the lookout at Somber Hill will be pulled off for the season." (Daily Boomerang)
June 18, 1923: "Miss Lorraine Lindsley of Centennial, who gained considerable notice in 1921, when she was fire lookout on Medicine Bow peak, the highest point in the Medicine Bow national forest in Wyoming, and Max Waring of Medicine Bow were married in this city "(Laramie). (Fort Collins Courier - Fort Collins, Colorado)
August 7, 1923: "A bullet, thought to have been fired from a high-powered rifle nearly a mile away, crashed thru one of the panes of glass in the lookout tower of the Medicine Bow National forest, at Medicine Bow peak, the highest point on the Medicine Bow mountains, yesterday. It grazed the head of Hugh Ramsey, the fire lookout, scattering bits of glass over him, and embedded itself in a pine log on the opposite side of the station. The forest officials are conducting an investigation, to determine, if possible, whether the shot was intended for Mr. Ramsey or just a random shot by a person who ignored the regulations about carrying and using firearms in the national forest. Mr. Ramsey was alone, and could see no one with the gun." (Fort Collins Courier - Fort Collins, Colorado)
June 9, 1925: "At Laramie, Wyoming, two feet of new snow on the level at the lookout station atop Medicine Bow Peak today prompted forest supervisor H.C. Hilton to suspend fire lookout service on Medicine Bow forest temporarily." (Bradford Era - Pennsylvania)
June 8, 1926: "On June 1st, Mr. Dee Asbury reported for duty as primary fire lookout on Medicine Bow Peak. This is officially the opening date of the fire season on the Medicine Bow Forest. Within a week the telephone line to the peak will be repaired, and Mr. Asbury will be established on top for the summer." (Grand Encampment Herald)
October 20, 1927: "J.H. Kunzendorf, who spent the summer at the Medicine Bow peak fire lookout station, near Laramie, has closed that station for the winter. This is the earliest closing of which the forest service has any record." (The Pinedale Roundup)
November 3, 1927: "J.H. Kunzendorf, who spent the summer at the Medicine Bow peak fire lookout station, near Laramie, has closed that station for the winter. This is the earliest closing of which the forest service has any record." (Jackson's Hole Courier)
October 24, 1930: "Medicine Bow peak, 12,500 feet high, is without snow, the 'perpetual' snows of its summit having melted for the first time since the establishment of the forest service fire lookout station at the summit more than twenty years ago.
In previous years the lookout station has been able to obtain its supply of drinking water from the snow on the summit. Water is now being carried up on a pack horse from a spring 500 feet below.
The light snow fall of last winter and the unusually warm summer are blamed for the shortage of snow on the peak. Medicine Bow peak is the highest in the Medicine Bow range." (The Lincoln Star)
July 21, 1932: "Men who served as fire lookouts last season in the Medicine Bow National Forest have been re-employed for the coming season, according to word received from the federal forest service. Roy Last of Saratoga is again stationed at Medicine Bow Peak." (Jackson's Hole Courier)
December 1, 1933: "A large amount of work has been done in the maintenance of our telephone lines connecting ranger stations and fire lookouts. A new telephone line, extending from the Brush creek ranger station to Medicine Bow peak lookout is about two-thirds completed and will be finished next spring." (Casper Star-Tribune)
May 25, 1934: "On account of the fire situation the fire lookout has been placed on Medicine Bow Peak much earlier than ever before. The lookout began duty on May 25." (Casper Star-Tribune)
June 27, 1934: "Fifty CCC workers have been dispatched to fight a forest fire reported eating into the timber on the north side of Elk mountain about 75 miles northwest of here (Laramie).
The blaze was sighted by Roy Lash, lookout on Medicine Bow Peak and reported by the forest supervisors' office here to the land office as the fire was not on the Medicine Bow National Forest." (Casper Star-Tribune)
July 12, 1936: "At Laramie, Wyo., Arthur Strouts, forest lookout on Medicine Bow peak in the Medicine Bow national forest, reported an inch of snow fell Saturday. The city and vicinity were drenched by a steady rain." (The Salt Lake Tribune)
September 12, 1937: "Medicine Bow peak, heretofore undisturbed by the purr of motor driven vehicles, has been scaled by three roaring, popping motorcycles.
The peak, which stands 12,005 feet above sea level in the heart of southern Wyoming's Snowy range, has in the past been inaccessible to motor driven vehicles. The only trail up the peak is that built to reach the forest service lookout station at the summit, and up until this week only horses and man had traversed it.
Five Laramie youths rode three motorcycles up the twisting trail.
Arthur Strouts, forest ranger at the lookout station, said it was the first time any motor vehicles have ever scaled the peak.
Strouts said over 500 persons have climbed the peak afoot and on horseback this summer." (Casper Star-Tribune)
October 28, 1937: "Two red foxes were blamed today by Medicine Bow National Forest officials for the disappearance of ptarmigan in the Snowy Range country.
Arthur Strouts, fire observer on Medicine Bow peak reported the two wily animals range over a five mile area near the peak and pounce upon the unsuspecting wild fowl.
Strouts also reported that predatory animals are cleaning out ruffled grouse in the area." (Casper Star-Tribune)
Burned by the Forest Service.