Observation Tower

BobSmith - Dec 3, 2007 5:13 pm - Hasn't voted

This one is no longer a fire lookout. The top was shaved off and a viewing platform put in its place. That's all it's for, now. They don't use fire lookouts as such anymore, with the advent of satellite technology. It's far more effective than the old triangulation methods of the fire lookouts. I think there are still a few score fire lookouts that are manned on a seasonal basis. And a few fire lookouts that are manned as historical monuments, and a few that are available for rent as cabins (mainly out west). Most of the lookout towers here in the South have either been removed, allowed to deteriorate, or modified for viewing platforms and such.