FLATHEAD COUNTY
WERNER PEAK
Montana DNRC
33N-22W-33
33N-22W-33
August 25, 1921: "A crew of men started work Monday morning building a new telephone line for the forest department from Big Creek to Warner's Peak in the North Fork district. The new line leads to a lookout station and is about 25 miles long." (The Columbian)
April 5, 1926: "Paul Shields and Jesse Underwood, both students in the high school here, made a trip to Werner's peak, 25 miles north of Whitefish, on snowshoes and spent the night in the lookout cabin there.
It was necessary, because of the deep snow, for thew bots to entire the building through the lookout window. They found the snow 25 feet deep in some places. In the lower levels there was only a little snow and the herds of deer they encountered showed they had wintered in fine shape. They saw the tracks of mountain lion and other predatory animals. The boys were fortunate in securing some excellent views, several of which will be enlarged for exhibition purposes." (The Billings Gazette)
July 8, 1954: "A State Forestry Department lookout was to take up his station today on Warner Peak, where there is seven feet of snow.
Emil Anderson, assistant state forester, said Jack Baumgartner, a lookout for many years, would scan Stillwater State Forest from the peak. Telephone crews who yesterday serviced lines to the mountain reported seven feet of snow near the lookout." (The Daily Inter Lake)
July 8, 1954: "A State Forestry Department lookout was to take up his station today on Warner Peak, where there is seven feet of snow.
Emil Anderson, assistant state forester, said Jack Baumgartner, a lookout for many years, would scan Stillwater State Forest from the peak. Telephone crews who yesterday serviced lines to the mountain reported seven feet of snow near the lookout." (The Daily Inter Lake)
September 21, 1957: "A forest lookout, Craig Lihn, 18, of Missoula, was trapped on a mountain peak by a snowstorm, but was rescued Thursday.
'Lihn was a mighty relieved boy when we reached him,' reported Chief Fire Warden Rod Krout. The officer said the youth telephoned about 1 a.m. that high winds were tearing the shutters from the lookout tower on Werner peak and that snow was drifting heavily.
Krout and Fire Warden Virgil Weaver made the trip in a four-wheel drive vehicle with chains on all wheels, Krout said.
'On the 20-mile trip from Whitefish, we had to cut our way through deadfalls across the road, make our own road through about one mile of snow drifted 3 1/2 feet deep near the peak. By the time we started back, wind had filled the car tracks with snow.'
Krout said there was about one foot of snow at 6,800-foot elevation and that hunters there probably would not have much luck any more this season in the high country." (The Billings Gazette)