Bertha Hill
Tower 1
The original lookout "tower",
a 15 foot hemlock snag left over from the 1887 fire, was first used by timber
cruisers and homesteaders to spot fires in 1900. The tower was modernized
in 1902 with a wooden ladder as the above picture shows. The first lookout
was Mable Gray, shown here being helped to her perch by her husband, timber
cruiser Bob Gray (holding ladder). She split duties as camp cook and lookout,
looking for smoke between mealtimes. If she saw smoke, she would mount the
saddle horse and ride to where the timber cruisers were or alert them by shotgun
if they were nearby.
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