Gold Hill/Mountain Lookout Site
WillhiteWeb.com
Gold Hill is Gold Mountain, just east of Darrington.
In 1915, the first lookout established in the Darrington district was Gold Hill. A tent camp with a platform observation post was established. Rowland Atchson was the first lookout man and it was during his one year stay that he spotted the Fire Creek Fire on White Chuck Mountain in 1916, saving countless acres of valuable timber.
In 1916, the lookout duties were moved to Jumbo Mountain.
In the book Switchbacks, by Andy Holland (an old time Forest Service fireman in the Darrington area) says he looked at a roster of former lookouts and Gold Hill was 1915, abandoned 1916.
The highpoint is near Lake Angeline, where some think the lookout was located. Numerous other points along the summit ridge have been suggested, especially further south than the highest point. The Kresek Inventory places the lookout in Section 33, the southern end of the summit area. I have visited most of the likely knobs and found no evidence remaining. My guess is the southwestern point that would have been a bare rocky BALD in 1916 (see map). Most the other points they would have needed to remove a huge area of trees for any view, unless the summit was burned off or harvested at that time in 1916.
Lookout Elevation: 3,300 feet
Hiking Distance: None to 1/2 mile
Elevation Gain: None to 300 feet
County: Snohomish
Gold Hill Ranger Station at the northern base of the mountain. Gold Hill is not labeled on any map I can find.
Gold Mountain Highpoint, year 2020.
Gold Mountain Highpoint
This is the highpoint of Section 33. The highpoint was thinned by the Forest Service not too long ago. Some old timber sale tages were still on the trees in 2021 during my visit.
A Darrington website said some of the steel from the platform still remains. If it was referring to this metal at the highpoint near Lake Angeline, I believe this would be a mistake. The highpoint was used for a logging landing since the lookout and thousands have driven to the top, some of whom leave garbage.
Wrong batteries at the Gold Mountain highpoint.
Nope, still wrong battery.
Gold Mountain map with some of my notes
More to come when found.....