Johns River Lookout & AWS Site (Markham)
There are big indications this location was a private fire lookout before being used by the Aircraft Warning Service. Documents say it was an existing station, but reconditioned. Located on State Land at the time, the structure was also recommended to be retained by the State of Washington after the war. During AWS, a 14x32 foot cabin was built with AWS funds. Some early memos used the name Markum, but it was corrected to Markham, likely after the local community, or the company Markham Shingle Company who owned land in the area. Then the name had to be changed from Markham to John's River Lookout because the name Markham was already being used by an AWS post somewhere else. The term lookout was unique in use on several documents, as if it was a well known local fire lookout. Based on our knowledge of lookouts in the area, a Johns River Lookout would fill a major gap of land not covered by any other fire lookout stations.
Location: NE1/4, SE1/4, Section 29, Township 16 North, Range 10 West
Ownership at time: Unknown/Private
Elevation: 400 feet
Distance: Undetermined until site visit
Aircraft Warning Service - Washington State
Site Visit
September 2, 1942: Calling it Markum
September 15, 1942: Calling it Markum, now with coordinates.
October 20, 1942: Now calling it Markham. No telephone line constructed to date.
November 17, 1942: Calling it Markham. Phone line just connected, reporting started. Explanation given that name Markham is already taken, must call it Johns River.
December 1, 1942: Listed as Johns River Lookout on inventory of AWS
Access:
Nov. 17, 1942: I have just heard this evening that the phone line from our Markham O.P. is connected and that the post will start reporting tomorrow morning. The phone number is really not a number but merely--John's River Lookout. The reason we could not get them to let us use the name Markham is that there is already some other post or station using that name. The mailing address for this post during the winter months should be: Care of O. B. Wedekind, Box 906, Satsup. We have closed the firehall for the winter although mail directed to Mr. Wedekind ass District Fire Warden, Montesano would probably still reach him.
AWS map
The gate is to be open for hunting season from September 1 to December 31st but I found it open in mid-February. If open, it is because Grays Harbor County owns a significant amount of land further past the private timberlands.
Name Timeline from documents:
The 40 acres in the quarter-quarter section has 2 possible lookout sites, one on each side of the road. On the left, a gated road climbs shorty uphill behind the gate to an intersection and large clearing. This would be a possibility. The other is on the right side of the road, up the embankment to a very large and flat knob. During my visit in 2020, this knob had been pre-commercially thinned. The amount of young trees cut was so thick, you could not see the ground anywhere and searching required walking the stems of the fallen trees six to eight feet above the ground, a dangerous task. Any relics or ground clues here will not be visible for 15 years.
Johns River on private land, an existing station, reconditioned, to retain and used by the DNR. 14x32 foot cabin built with AWS funds
Above: On the observation post shown as Markham (Aberdeen 29)
Below: Show as Johns River L.O. (Aberdeen 29) Notice how they call it a lookout even when so many others on this list are known lookouts with towers and cabs but not written with the lookout in the name. It was because the telephone number already had lookout in the name, see memo on this page.
AWS map showing Johns River start date of 11-18-1942
#14) Requesting the name change between Markum and Markham
Location: NE1/4, SE1/4, Section 29, Township 16 North, Range 10 West
First doc about given name for the AWS station, changed it below
Communication costs - Markham telephone line not constructed to date.
Showing known lookouts in area, Johns River lookout site was all alone
Phone connections
Likely at the 400 foot knob in the known 1/4, 1/4 section
Showing Grays Harbor County Timberlands ownership
This map found in AWS documents has many lookouts and some AWS locations that may have been fire lookouts prior to AWS. Some state lookouts were in black ink. In pencel are Hall, Hobi, Packsack, Trap and Deep Creek, all confirmed fire lookouts. In pencel, Palix, Saddle and Markham hint to being fire lookouts in the AWS documents. Naselle and Alger were AWS sites, unknown if fire use.
A flat area at the left highpoint
A flat area at the right highpoint but covered in trees