BLACK BUTTE
Lincoln County - Kootenai National Forest - 36N-27W-20
September 17, 1948: "Stanley Hanson is working for the Forest Service and is now on Black Butte Lookout." (Evergreen)
June 22, 1955: "Mrs. Lucille Burch, four-year lookout veteran, was packed to Black Butte Lookout last week and her first day spotted a 'smoker fire' on Dodge Creek.
Ranger Lester Fulton reported it as a 'spot fire because it covered less than 100th of an acre.' A smoker fire, he said, is one caused by a careless smoker. No fires of this type were reported here last year, it was learned.
The spot fire which was a quarter mile from the Dodge Creek road was put out by a tanker truck capable of carrying 500 gallons of water." (The Daily Inter Lake)
June 22, 1955: "Mrs. Lucille Burch, four-year lookout veteran, was packed to Black Butte Lookout last week and her first day spotted a 'smoker fire' on Dodge Creek.
Ranger Lester Fulton reported it as a 'spot fire because it covered less than 100th of an acre.' A smoker fire, he said, is one caused by a careless smoker. No fires of this type were reported here last year, it was learned.
The spot fire which was a quarter mile from the Dodge Creek road was put out by a tanker truck capable of carrying 500 gallons of water." (The Daily Inter Lake)
July 29, 1955: "Mrs. Lucille H. Burch, Black Butte lookout fire spotter, said today that a Seattle contractor visited the lookout site last week as a preliminary inspection for an open bid on a radar station to be held Aug. 8.
Contractor A.O. Gossan said the new radar station would be a 30 by 100 foot 'L' shaped concrete building. Two other contracts will be open for bid the same time, he said, an adjoining helicopter landing field and 2 1/2 miles of road with five turnouts from the Pinkham Road.
Gossan said if he received the bid for the job he would move to Rexford with his wife and two children and begin work immediately. The job must be completed within 90 days.
The radar station is to be built adjacent to the Black Butte lookout tower. There was no mention made about housing units for future radar operators." (The Daily Inter Lake)
October 5, 1956: A gap filler radar station is completed at Black Butte lookout. (Evergreen)
October 5, 1956: A gap filler radar station is completed at Black Butte lookout. (Evergreen)
September 30, 1957: "According to Gus Verdal, Rexford ranger, all the lookouts were brought down Sept. 12 when there was nine inches of snow on the mountains in the Kootenai National Forest.
However, since that snowfall is all gone and the weather has warmed up the fire hazard is still present. At present, Dick Clarke is manning Black Butte lookout as the weather demands. This is the only manned lookout in the Rexford area, but the air patrol is on duty daily to help protect the forests. Verdal flew as an observer on Wednesday over the Kootenai Forest." (The Daily Inter Lake)