Marker Logo HMdb.org THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Near Jacob Lake in Coconino County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)
 

Jacob Lake Lookout Tower

 
 
Jacob Lake Lookout Tower Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, May 17, 2016
1. Jacob Lake Lookout Tower Marker
Inscription. This location has two markers

This steel lookout tower is 80 feet tall and has a 7 foot by 7 foot steel cab on top. It was erected in 1934.

As guardians of our nation's vast timber reserves, the U.S. Forest Service has always given fire detection and control a high priority. In the first years after the Forest Service was established in 1905, fire guards patrolled the forest on horseback. The earliest form of lookout structure was simply a platform mounted in a tree. The fire guard would climb the tree, spot the fire, and then report it. Eventually, permanent lookout stations and towers were established on prominent points These early towers were built with local materials, usually logs or lumber. The lookout used a device called an Osborne fire-finder to pinpoint a fire's location. Telephones enabled lookouts to quickly report fires, speeding response time. Today, radios are the most common form of communication. In the early 1930s, the Forest Service developed a region-wide plan for fire detection and control. The plan included suggestions for lookout tower design
Paid Advertisement
Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.
Click or scan to see
this page online
and locations to ensure complete visual coverage of the landscape

Largely as a result of this plan, and the influx of labor from the Civilian Conservation Corps, the 1930s became the most active period for lookout tower construction in the nation. Steel towers and cabs were built to standard Forest Service architectural plans. Jacob Lake Lookout Tower, completed in 1934, is typical of others built during that era.

Second marker

This site listed on the
National Historic Lookout Register
A national register recognizing fire lookout sites, structures and towers with historic and cultural significance to forest fire detection in order to promote their protection.
Maintained in cooperation with federal, state, and private forestry agencies and landowners throughout the United States
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: AgricultureEnvironment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1934.
 
Location. 36° 41.987′ N, 112° 12.822′ W. Marker is near Jacob Lake, Arizona, in Coconino County. Marker can be reached
Jacob Lake Lookout Tower Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, May 17, 2016
2. Jacob Lake Lookout Tower Marker
from Arizona Route 67, 1.2 miles south of U.S. 89A, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fredonia AZ 86022, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 3 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Theodore Roosevelt (approx. 0.9 miles away); Kaibab Squirrel Area (approx. one mile away); Jacob Lake Ranger Station (approx. one mile away).
 
Jacob Lake Lookout Tower Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, May 17, 2016
3. Jacob Lake Lookout Tower Marker
Jacob Lake Lookout Tower image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, May 17, 2016
4. Jacob Lake Lookout Tower
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on May 28, 2016, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 611 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 28, 2016, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona.

Share this page.  
Share on Tumblr
m=94919

CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisements
Mar. 28, 2024