S-Tree Campground

Recreational Area

Status: Open

This area is Open
 

Overview/Background

The S-Tree Fire Tower once stood near the campground entrance. These towers were important structures for detecting devastating forest fires.
The fire towers were home to the lookouts who worked there. A tower cab was just big enough for a wood stove, two cots, a cabinet, storage boxes, a small table and a stool. The all-important alidade, or fire finder, stood in the middle of the room.
Later, lookouts no longer lived in the tower, but they would climb the stairs each day during fire season.
By the mid-1970s, firefighters used planes for aerial detection of fires. Many towers, like the one that stood here, were torn down because they could no longer be maintained for use. Some towers have been restored and opened to the public. 

Recreation Areas