Chase Mountain Lookout

In 1924, several forest fires were reported by Reuben Gardner, the lookout on Chase Mountain.

In 1925, construction of a lookout cabin on the top of Chase Mountain was planned. We think an observation platform atop a 12 x 12 frame cabin with hip roof was constructed.
A lookout person was manning the mountain this summer as well, having spotted at least one fire on records.

In 1926, the lookout person spotted more fires from Chase Mountain.

In 1927, the lookout person spotted more fires from Chase Mountain. The Klamath Forest Protective association may have been the main observers in the 1920s.

In 1928, a living quarters was constructed. A 1960 photo shows the living quarters as two separate buildings joined together, one being a 10 x 10 gable roof structure which was the kitchen, and the other a 12 x 12 hip roof building used as the living room. The 12 x 12 structure may have been the original lookout building.

In 1929, panoramic photos were taken.

In 1931, the lookout was Lloyd Johnson.

In 1935, a new tower was constructed.

In 1938, the lookout was Paul Berg, who had been a lookout for seventeen years. From 1932 to 1938 he was at Chase Mountain., and ten years on Walker Mountain.

In 1940, under an expanded fire prevention program, a radio was put into use at the lookout. Portable radio sets were used at the Klamath Falls offices and at Bly. Former lookout at Chase Mountain, Sam Rose (now a dispatcher) maintained the line at the state offices. The lookout was staffed for 180 days and reported to the Clover Station by both radio and telephone.

In 1943, Thelma Duke was the first woman lookout to be stationed in the area and was at Chase Mountain. A frame cabin constructed at a cost of $153.05.

In 1946, the lookout was David Griffiths, working for the Klamath Forest Protection Agency.

In 1948, the lookout was again Dave Griffith. During fire school, he livened things up by drawing cartoons on a blackboard in front of the class to illustrate points in the life of fire crews and lookouts. An older trainer remembered Dave and his brother Ernest from the days when they were boys in Pokegama section. He said he hardly ever saw the boys but always knew they were in the country by the drawings in the dust along the trails.

In 1949, the budget called for a new lookout tower on Chase Mountain but when they were preparing to plan on construction, they found that some of the Clarke-McNary funds would not be available until 1951 so plans were dropped. The 1951 budget was set up for the tower. A local firm has submitted a price of $2340.00, for a 20-foot steel tower with a 14x14 house on top. The budget was approved, and an order was placed immediately while they still had the steel.

In 1950, lookout Dave E. Griffith lacerated his left hand when an axe slipped as he was cutting kindling at his home. Griffith had five stitches taken but was able to be on the job within a few days at the start of the season in May. In August, sparks from a brakeshoe of a logging train set fire to Weyerhaeuser Companys trestle near Spencer Creek. A Weyerhaeuser crew brought a railroad tanker and a pump car was called to the scene shortly after, KFPA lookouts on Chase Mountain and Buck Peak sighted the smoke. Two bents, trestle supports, were burned badly enough to delay a logging train for some time while repair work was going on. This is almost exactly the spot where another fire started the prior year by a brakeshoe spark. The same trestle was damaged.

In 1951, a new all-steel 20 foot lookout was built, the first of its kind in the Klamath area. Watching the construction was Jean Groth, who was perched atop the welded tower throughout the summer. Pade and Holland of Klamath Falls did the construction.
The old lookout building was moved to Hamelton Butte to be used as a lookout at that place.

In 1952, the lookout spotted a smoke in the Big Bend country of the Klamath River. A smoke-chasing crew from KFPA descended halfway into the 1000 foot deep Klamath River Canyon and knocked out a potentially dangerous fire on the canyons steep slope. Then the same crewmen spotted another blaze, this one on the side of Chase Mountain itself, out of sight of the lookout tower.

In 1964, the living quarters were dismantled having fallen into a state of decay and not maintained for intended purpose. An evaluation 4 years before remarked it was in poor condition and would help the lookout if it was removed.

In 1967, eight fires were reported from this station. The inside and outside of the tower were also completely painted.

In 1970, seventeen fires were reported from this station. A door was installed for access to the catwalk and the ceiling was painted. A series of incendiary fires plagued the District with the discovery of a fire at Aspen Lake as an oversize camp fire which led to the discovery of seven fires in the area throughout the night. Another incident was a reported fire that led to the discovery of three additional fires, one of which was a bridge in the Klamath River Canyon.

In 1980, permission was requested from the Weyerhaeuser Company to run an underground power line for electricity to the lookout.

In 2004, the lookout received a remodeling, which included new windows and flooring.

In 2010, or within a few years, the lookout was no longer staffed.