SOMBER HILL
Albany County - Medicine Bow National Forest
July 20, 1910: "One of the stellar attractions at the end of the Plains line is Somber Hill. Just how it obtained its name is not quite clear, as it does not present a somber appearance other than being covered with dark green timber. From this hill the forest rangers observe the surrounding country and every day one of them climbs a tree at the summit of the hill and looks long and carefully over all the Medicine Bow national forest. The tree seems to have been placed there for the express purpose. It is a dead one and has friendly limbs all the way from the bottom to the very top." (The Laramie Republican)
May 13, 1911: "A telephone line is to be established at Somber hill and connected with the other Forest Service lines. Mr. Frank W. Pennock, in charge of the Foxpark station will care for the new post in connection with the duties of his present work." (Centennial Post)
May 31, 1911: "The forest service is building a phone line between Foxpark and Somber hill, where a lookout station will be maintained." (Laramie Republican)
October 19, 1921: "From the number of smokes reported as emanating from sage brush clearing fires there must be wide agricultural development going on in the North Platte valley, immediately west and adjacent to the Medicine Bow forest. Ranger Van Ende reported two smokes in that region again yesterday from the Somber Hill lookout near Foxpark. When these smokes first appear they cannot be distinguished from forest fire smokes, and there is a wild scramble until the second lookout gets a cross bearing and the location is determined to be outside the forest. Yesterday was a day of very high fire hazard on the forest, owing to the extreme dryness and a high wind. There were eleven incipient fires along the C.W. and E. railroad near Albany, but outside the forest. They were prevented from spreading by the vigilance of the railroad and the forest service patrols. Snow is badly needed, but weather indications are not favorable for the desired snow in the near future." (Laramie Republican)
June 7, 1922: "Lee Hall, who had been assigned to duty as the fire lookout at the Somber hill station at Foxpark, has been compelled to resign, being unable, on account of dizziness, to ascend the ladder on the tower. The tower is a rather crude affair, but perfectly safe, with a rough ladder leading to the platform, and when Mr. Hall essayed the feat of climbing this he could only reach about half way, when nausea would overtake him, and he had to come down to prevent falling. The place has not been filled." (Laramie Republican)
July 8, 1922: "Forest Supervisor Hilton of the Medicine Bow national forest has issued instructions to have Forest Guard Benham remain the entire day on the Somber Hill lookout near Foxpark, until certain conditions which are interfering with visibility from the primary lookout on Medicine Bow peak have lifted.
Somber Hill is a secondary lookout, and the guard spends but part of his time on the tower since Forest Guard Ramsay remains all the time on the primary lookout. However, during the past few days the visibility from the primary lookout has been extremely limited, owing to a number of conditions beginning with the migrating smoke of a week ago. The present condition does not result from smoke, but is a combination of vapor and clouds of pollen, a fine yellow dust which is the fertilizing element from the pine trees. The trees are giving forth this dust at this particular time, and the amount from half a million acres of pine trees creates quite large sized clouds." (Laramie Republican)
September 14, 1922: "Forest Guard Benham reported smoke from Somber Hill lookout tower today and the cross bearing reported from Forest Guard Ramsay of the Medicine Bow peak station, indicated the locality of the fire to be about three miles south of Mountain Home and on the Colorado national forest. The information was telephoned to Acting Forest Supervisor Hougam at Fort Collins." (Laramie Republican)
August 4, 1927: "Located so the lookout can scan portions of the Colorado, Routt and Hayden forests in Colorado and the Medicine Bow forest in Wyoming, the new observatory on Somber Hill near Laramie has been completed. The observatory is a glassed-in house at the top of a 60-foot steel tower. C. Arthur Thomas of Fowler, Colo., will be in charge of the station." (The Pinedale Roundup)
September 29, 1928: "The hazard from forest fires in the surrounding Hayden and Medicine Bow national forests is still acute, as evidenced by the lightning fire which recently burned on Wallbright creek.
Lightning struck in a rocky cliff and set fire to the dry grass and only by the timely efforts of employes of Andrew Anderson of the A-A ranch was a serious fire prevented.
The fire occurred adjacent to the Platte river canyon and because of its location was not under observation of the fire lookouts on Somber hill and Medicine Bow peak within the Medicine Bow forest. Employes of Otto Selhart of the Big Creek ranch rendered valuable service to the forest rangers, and the men from the A-A ranch, in finally extinguishing the fire, fording the Platte river to reach the scene," (The Billings Gazette)
Removed