NORTH BALDY LOOKOUT

25 miles north of Newport WA

Colville/Kaniksu National Forests

6173`

Developed with a camp 1/4 mile south of the summit in 1909, a log cabin was added in 1918. Then a cupola cabin was built in 1928 (top left), quickly followed up by a 40` pole L-4 in 1938. The U.S. Air Force developed the summit as a radar site after World War II, thus the now-abandoned concrete building seen below next to the 41` treated timber R-6 flat (top right) which was constructed in 1964, but abandoned in the 1970`s. With no guy cables or lightning hardware, the tower managed to stay upright through the 1980`s when it was torn down in 1989. The top 30` of the superstructure was moved to Big Meadow Lake west of Ione WA to become a wildlife observation tower (bottom). Top photos courtesy the Fire Lookout Museum; lower photo © Rex Kamstra.