First Butte Lookout - Winthrop Washington

The lookout likely started as a camp given we have an image of a tent with the label, (Hixie) Norman Hix cooking at his tent at the First Butte Fire Lookout.

In 1930, panoramic images taken on October 19, 1930. At least one was taken by William Bushnell Osborne, perfector of the firefinder and inventor of his camera. The panoramic photos do not give a height, but they are clearly well above the ground and labeled as taken from a lookout tower.

In 1931, Ed Allen and Clint Hanks spent several weeks working for the forest service building a house and lookout tower at First Butte. After completion, the lookout was Robert Payne. A newspaper also called it the Boulder Creek lookout. It appears in early photos that this unique lookout was a cupola style built on a tower.

In 1932, the lookout Duer Johnson severely cut his foot with an adz. He held a tourniquet upon his leg for several hours until he could be brought to town. At that time, you could only drive within about three miles of the lookout, on the Boulder Creek road, eight miles up the Chewuck River. Johnson was building a railing about the lookout house, smoothing the poles with an adz. The tool slipped, cutting his foot. Holding the hastily improvised tourniquet, he was able to reach the telephone and report the accident to his father, R.E. Johnson, dispatcher at the Winthrop station. Rex Hanks was sent to the peak that afternoon to take Johnson's place.

In 1942, First Butte was staffed during WWII as an aircraft warning station. AWS documents show a sleeping quarters was added with AWS funds.

In 1984, Mort Banasky took a summer job as fire lookout on First Butte after returning to school at the UW. She never went back to the school once she learned that someone would pay you to sit on a mountaintop. Mort was moved to Leecher Mountain in 2010 after 24 summers at First Butte.

In 2006, the lookout and its ground cabin were wrapped during a fire in August.

The current tower (build date unknown) is timber at 28 feet, with a 14x14 cab and catwalk on top. It is presently used for emergencies.

From Winthrop, take County Road 9137 north about 7 miles to FS 37 on the right. If you cross the Chewuch River, you've missed the turn. Follow FS 37 along Boulder Creek, until Bromos Creek Road 800 road to the lookout. Follow map, I might be missing a section of road here.

First Butte has easy road access and currently has a fire lookout with decent views of the area.