Robinson Butte Lookout

In 1913, a lookout was stationed on Robinson Butte.

In 1916, it was reported that Robinson Butte lookout covered country that no other peak could command and there was no doubt that the lookout should be retained permanently.
The report said that the butte ,when improved by construction of a tower, or at least a crows nest, would be an admirable station. It was described as follows: a flat-topped mountain which required some improvement to get the best results. The observer has to use three main points of observation. The map board is on the highest point of the lookout, but the phone is not. Even were a tower erected, some one hundred trees would have to be felled to get an unobstructed view. These trees are mostly white fir and Shasta fir averaging perhaps 22 inches diameter breast high. There is a Douglas fir tree 38 inches D.B.H. on the top that could be used as a lookout tree and in which a crows nest could be built 88 feet from the ground. In fact there are three trees any one of which would be suitable for the purpose. To build a crows nest, brace the tree, and supply a ladder or other means of ascent would cost less than a tower of the required height and probably serve for several years. The nearest available water is at Big Elk Ranger Station, at the base of the mountain two or three miles distant. (The Fire Lookout System on the Crater National Forest, Harold D. Foster, 1916)

In 1932, a 20-foot pole tower with an L-4 cab was started.

In 1933, the tower was complete and a garage was also completed by the Moon Prairie CCC camp. The lookouts were Mr. and Mrs. Ben Zimmer and daughter Joan.

In 1934, the CCC men from the South Fork of the Rogue camp were sent to Robinson Butte to act as lookouts.

In 1935, during the height of a storm, Mrs. Herb Wright, wife of the lookout fireman, was temporarily stunned by a bolt of lightning that struck a short distance from her. She was attending a forest service telephone while her husband was at work on a nearby fire. In this year, the lookout was at the end of a 2-mile spur road west from Big Elk Ranger Station.

In 1936, panorama photos were taken.

In 1941, the lookout was Walter Radcliffe.

In 1943, the lookout was Roy Kephart, a junior at KUHS.

In 1950, the lookout was a Mr. Oliver from St. Paul, Minn.

In 1972, a USGS party reported that the lookout tower had been removed but its concrete footings and a wooden garage building remain.

In 1973, the forest service was looking to construct a new lookout on the butte, 50 to 60 feet high, either treated wood or a steel structure.

In 1974, a 53-foot timber tower was built with an R-6 flat roof cab trucked from Blue Rock Lookout.

In 2016, after being staffed for several years by the South West Oregon District of the Oregon Department of Forestry, the tower failed an inspection, the staff pulled off the tower and a condemned sign posted across the stairs and the steps removed from the first set.