BENDER POINT
Beaverhead County - Beaverhead National Forest - 17W-1S-4
September 19, 1940: "Fred Haskins, who had been located at Bender Point lookout, has given up his post for the season. Recent rains made the watches no longer necessary." (The Dillon Tribune)
July 17, 1941: "Fire precautions in the Wisdom forest district commenced last week with the cessation of the heavy rains. Lookouts were placed: Clifford Kearney of Dillon at Bender." (The Dillon Tribune)
July 7, 1943: "Bill Stevenson of California, is at the Bender lookout to the northeast, the first of this week." (The Dillon Daily Tribune)
July 25, 1944: "Robert Hilton of Banville, Ill., recently assumed duties at the lookout station on Bender creek." (The Dillon Daily Tribune)
September 8, 1949: "Recent rains in the Big Hole made it possible to close the lookouts in the mountains and Richard Fleming descended from his high post the first of this week." (The Dillon Daily Tribune)
July 3, 1951: "With the opening of the summer season, July 1, the work in the Wisdom district increased considerably. The lookout at the head of Bender Creek opens this week with Sonny York on the watch." (The Dillon Daily Tribune)
September 16, 1952: "The Forest Service is building a lookout at the head of Bender Creek, northwest of Wisdom, which when completed, will be visible from town. The tower will be about 30 feet high with living quarters for the man on the lookout on the top, a little house nicely arranged, a map in the center of the room, hardwood floors and large windows on all sides. There has been a man located at this point every summer for nearly 10 years but there were no living quarters, just lookout equipment." (The Dillon Daily Tribune)
October 3, 1952: "A crew of four men with Mickey Durant in charge, is building a much needed lookout for forest fires 25 miles by trail northwest of Wisdom or 15 miles as the crow flies. The lookout will have a 30 foot tower.
Lumber for the lookout was transported to the spot some years ago but because of a shortage in appropriations it wasn't until the present time that the forest service was able to complete the work." (The Dillon Daily Tribune)
January 15, 1953: "These past months have been a busy time for Mickey Durant. Just prior to the bridge construction work, a lookout tower was completed on Bender Point of the Wisdom ranger district under his supervision. This lookout installation includes a modern lookout house mounted on a 30 foot timber tower. The new tower will add considerably as a fire detection facility and is a vast improvement over the tent quarters which were furnished." (The Dillon Daily Tribune)
July 16, 1953: "Fire lookouts recently opened were the Bender Lookout on the northwest side of the Big Hole with Bill Wilcox of Butte in charge." (The Dillon Daily Tribune)
September 11, 1953: "Two lookouts in the Wisdom Forest district were closed this week. One was the Bender lookout, where Don Smith of Butte served during the summer." (The Dillon Daily Tribune)
June 30, 1954: "Milton Andrews of Yoakum Texas, will be on Bender look-out." (The Dillon Examiner)
July 26, 1956: "Homer Meyer, who is a forestry student in the University at Missoula, has been placed on Bender lookout, where he will remain for the summer months." (The Dillon Daily Tribune)
August 6, 1957: "Paul Dickman who is radio technician in the Beaverhead Forest installed an F.M. repeater on the Odell lookout for the purpose of improving radio communication between the Wise River, Wisdom and Jackson areas." (The Dillon Daily Tribune)
September 10, 1957: "According to Wisdom District Forest Service news last week, both Bender and O'Dell lookouts are closed for the season. Benny Jones on the Bender Creek lookout is a college student and left for Ponca City, Okla." (The Dillon Daily Tribune)
June 26, 1958: "New employees at the Wisdom ranger station are Richard Pease of Lima will be Bender lookout man." (The Dillon Daily Tribune)
August 22, 1958: "A replacement has been acquired for Richard Pease who is the Bender lookout. Mr. Pease has to return to his teaching position in Lima. The replacement is Terry Browning." (The Dillon Daily Tribune)
July 3, 1961: "The Wisdom Forest Service moved men into Bender and O'Dell lookouts Sunday." (The Dillon Daily Tribune)
July 10, 1963: "The Forest Service lookout men were installed at Bender and O'Dell lookouts last week." (The Dillon Daily Tribune)
Removed