SONOMA COUNTY
BIG MOUNTAIN
California Department of Forestry
May 10, 1934: "A.A. Wilkie, state forester for Sonoma county, reported that the new lookout station is planned for the top of Big Mountain, nine miles from Skaggs Springs on the Warm Springs creek. This location will give an unobstructed view of many miles of timber-covered area, Wilkie said." (Healdsburg Tribune, Enterprise and Scimitar)
November 21, 1935: "Establishment of a winter work camp is planned in northern Sonoma county to house men working on construction of a new state lookout station on Big Mountain, above Skaggs Springs.
The station is expected to be complete in time for the opening of the fire season next spring, and will be used to supplement the present county lookout station on Mt. Jackson and the tri-county station completed last season on Mt. St. Helena.
Surveys are already under way for installing a forest service telephone line from the site of the lookout station to Skaggs Springs.
Crews from the winter work camp to be opened in the area will be used in constructing the telephone line and for erecting buildings at the lookout station.
A mile and a quarter of road leading from the present Skaggs Springs-Annapolis highway to the lookout site has already been completed by an advance crew of 10 men." (Sotoyome Scimitar)
March 20, 1936: "Installation of a twenty-five man 'stub' CCC camp in the Big Mountain state fire lookout station is being planned for early in April.
This was indicated Wednesday as C.G. Strickland, deputy state forester, and W.J. Hufford, new Sonoma county forest ranger, conferred regarding possibility of completing the project by the start of the fire season.
The plan, expected to be approved, calls for the removal of the state CCC crew from Northwestern Camp, near Willits, to the Big Mountain location, on the Baxter ranch property, to complete the first telephone line, located last fall, and the first road, which will connect the lookout station with the Skaggs Springs - Coast road." (Petaluma Argus-Courier)