Blue Mountain Lake in Hamilton County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Fire Tower
(Whiteface Mountain)
Fire Tower.
The second forest fire
tower in the Adirondacks.
Erected 1909. One of 58 now
maintained by the State in
Adirondacks and Catskills.
New York State Education and
Conservation Departments, 1935
Erected 1935 by New York State Education and Conservation Departments.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Horticulture & Forestry • Man-Made Features • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1885.
Location. 43° 52.193′ N, 74° 25.958′ W. Marker is in Blue Mountain Lake, New York, in Hamilton County. Marker can be reached from New York State Route 30. The marker was originally on Whiteface Mountain, but is now on display, along with the fire tower, at the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Blue Mountain Lake NY 12812, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 4 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Lake Durant (approx. 2.1 miles away); The Adirondacks (approx. 2.1 miles away); Pioneer Bridge (approx. 2.3 miles away); Indian Lake World War Honor Roll (approx. 10.1 miles away).
Regarding Fire Tower. Whiteface is New York State's fifth tallest mountain and the only fire tower mountain over 4,000 feet in elevation. When this observation station was established in July 1909, no tower was immediately erected, as an unobstructed view was available due to the lack of tree cover on the mountaintop. All that was initially provide was a pole frame structure with a canvas tent stretched over it so that the observer could get in out of the weather.
In 1909, the State acquired a temporary easement on the summit of Whiteface, which was then privately owned. Whiteface was one of the first mountains in the Adirondacks used for forest fire detection in response to devastating forest fires that occurred across the region in 1903 and the early part of 1909. It was also the most expensive to construct due to the need to construct 7.5 miles of telephone line. The log pole station was replaced by a 22 foot tall Aermotor LS40 tower in 1919. The steel tower proved to be too small to accommodate ever increasing use and was supplanted by the current, much larger stone observation tower that was constructed in 1935, after the 4.1 acres comprising the summit were gifted to the State of New York. A road to the summit was built in the 1930's. The road is open from May to October. Foot access is available year round.
Also see . . .
1. Historic Structures ond display at the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake. Adirondack Experience Website entry (Submitted on July 17, 2011, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York.)
2. Firetower Study for the Adirondack Park - February 2010. NYS Department of Environment Protection PDF (Submitted on July 17, 2011, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York.)
Additional keywords. Forest Fires Adirondack Adirondeck
Credits. This page was last revised on February 28, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 17, 2011, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York. This page has been viewed 1,273 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 17, 2011, by Howard C. Ohlhous of Duanesburg, New York. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.