BEAR BASIN BUTTE
Del Norte County - Six Rivers National Forest
1924: "This season saw a new idea in lookout cabin construction. Instead of packing in ready-cut lumber, it was whipsawed near the lookouts for standard cabins at a cost of $70.00 per M. Lumber was sawn and the cabin constructed at Bear Basin." (A History of the Siskiyou National Forest - 1939)
May 3, 1954: "Three young men shot the windows out of the Bear Basin lookout station. They made a statement admitting the act and are now paying the damage cost by installments." (Humboldt Standard)
1997: The cab from the Camp Six Lookout tower was moved to Bear Basin Butte, refurbished and put into the rental program.
September 22, 1997: "A half-dozen defunct fire lookouts, from the Bear Basin Butte in the rugged mountains east of Crescent City to the Oak Flat lookout in the Sequoia, have been renovated and offered to the public as cabin rentals." (The San Bernardino County Sun)
August 17, 2015: The Lookout and cabin at Bear Basin Butte were wrapped in protective foil.
DESIGNATION - BEAR BASIN LOOKOUT HOUSE
PID - MX1246
STATE/COUNTY- CA/DEL NORTE
COUNTRY - US
USGS QUAD - DEVILS PUNCHBOWL (1981)
STATION DESCRIPTION
DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1941 (JCS)
STATION IS A U.S.F.S. LOOKOUT HOUSE ON THE TOP OF BEAR BASIN
BUTTE IN THE SISKIYOU NATIONAL FOREST ABOUT 23 MILES E OF
CRESCENT CITY AND ABOUT 6 MILES SW OF THE SMITH RIVER.
THIS STATION WAS NOT VISITED BY THIS PARTY.
THE TOP OF THE HOUSE WAS INTERSECTED.
STATION RECOVERY (1952)
RECOVERY NOTE BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1952 (WRH)
THE STATION IS LOCATED ABOUT 15 MILES SOUTH OF O BRIEN, 11 MILES
EAST SOUTHEAST OF GASQUET, ON THE HIGHEST POINT OF WHAT IS
LOCALLY KNOWN AS BEAR BASIN BUTTE.
THE LOOKOUT HOUSE IS A U.S. FOREST SERVICE LOOKOUT HOUSE THAT
IS ABOUT 14 FEET SQUARE AND ABOUT 15 FEET HIGH. IT IS 13.715
FEET, 4.180 METERS SOUTH OF STATION BEAR BASIN. THE CENTER
OF THE HOUSE WAS INTERSECTED.