BLACK FOX MOUNTAIN
Siskiyou County - Shasta National Forest - 40N-1E-6
July 15, 1922: "A glass forest lookout house 14 x 14 feet has just been completed on a thirty-foot tower on Black Fox mountain, twenty miles northeast of McCloud. All material for the house had to be packed up from the foot of the mountains on mules. Some of the timbers were sixteen feet long, requiring some clever work in packing in order to make possible for the animals to carry them." (Santa Cruz Evening News)
July 28. 1922: "False Alarm fire causes man to lose his job. -- The morning of July eight a fire was reported by Blackfox Lookout. The road crew working at Harris Springs was notified by the dispatcher to go to the fire. All were willing to go but Mr. Butler, who refused and said he would roll his blankets and go down the road before he would fight that fire. He also made the remark that they could not can him on account of men being so scarce, and they could,'t arrest him for he was too old to be forced to fight fire. But when Mr. L.D. Overmyer went out to the road camp Monday, July 10, he hauled Butler and his blankets back to McCloud. -- If any man thinks more of comfort than his job let him chose." (California District News Letter)
April 1, 1923: "Black Fox Mountain--Black Fox lookout is eighteen miles from McCloud. All except the last three-mile climb can be made by automobile. This lookout is on a thirty-foot steel tower, which commands the country for many miles in all directions." (San Francisco Chronicle)
November 1, 1923: "Ed Sanderson has returned from Black Fox mountain, where he has been stationed as lookout." (Siskiyou Daily News)
June 14, 1925: "Black Fox Lookout is eighteen miles from McCloud. All except the last three mile climb can be made by automobile. This lookout is on a thirty foot steel tower which commands the country for many miles in all directions." (Fresno Bee)
November 14, 1929: "George Dunlap, who has been stationed at Black Fox lookout station as forest ranger, arrived here for the winter last week." (Siskiyou Daily News)
June 11, 1943: "For the first time McCloud district of the Shasta National Forest has women acting as lookouts. Misses Billie Burge and Pearl Pursley of Alabama have been stationed on Black Fox lookout." (The Dunsmuir News)
August 11, 1954: "Featured in an Oakland, Calif., newspaper recently was a story about Mrs. Lenore Broze. who served as a national forest fire lookout at Black Fox Lookout Tower on a 6,500-foot peak near Mt. Shasta.
Mrs. Broze is a sister of Mrs. Howard, who teaches at Technical High School in Oakland. She serves as lookout in the Shasta National Forest during the summer. The story said that of the 18 lookouts on the Shasta forest 12 are women. Mrs Broze taught school at Miles City before moving to California and has been with the school system there since 1925. This is her ninth season as lookout at Black Fox tower." (Billings Gazette)
October 14, 1954: "All lookouts in this region had been removed from their towers after the recent storm. Ranger McBride stated some were to be returned 'til deer season ends or another good storm arrives. Pearl Cown is to go to Black Fox lookout." (The Dunsmuir News)
May 26, 1955: "Jan Graves went to Black Fox lookout tower Tuesday via shank's mare -- last quarter mile." (The Dunsmuir News)
September 22, 1955: "Wanda Woods, lookout, stationed on Black Fox USFS lookout station, has a problem. No one seems to have an answer to it.
The deer and various other animals consumed one of the two blocks of salt near the lookout. The other block was left untouched. The location of the untouched block was considered undesirable for the animals, so it was moved to the site of the consumed block.
Still the animals avoid it.
The two blocks were in the same shipment. No one seems to know why nothing goes near the newly placed salt. Anyone have any suggestions?. " (The Dunsmuir News)
November 17, 1955: "The lookout station roads are getting lots of travel these days.
First the lookouts are all removed then comes summer weather and some are returned to their stations.
Jan Graves spent a week on Black Fox and was brought down last Sunday -- the last trip of the season.
Snow as deep as 2 feet was encountered on the lofty mountain, according to Paul Friday, who went after Jan." (The Dunsmuir News)
June 14, 1956: "Mavis Day, of Burney, was lookout at Black Fox during the recent electrical storms. She set somewhat of a record by reporting 14 out of 16 fires. She was the first to report them. This is her first year on a lookout." (The Dunsmuir News)
May 21, 1959: "Jack Prevey, USFS McCloud district ranger, said Black Fox fire lookout will be manned this week, due to dry clear weather. Mavis Day, lookout for several years, is to be stationed there." (The Dunsmuir News)
May 19, 1960: "Mavis Day was stationed on Black Fox lookout last Sunday, the first lookout for the season." (The Dunsmuir News)
2008: The lookout was closed for maintenance, the duties were transferred to the Siskiyou Bear Lookout.
National Geodetic Survey
DESIGNATION - BLACK FOX LOOKOUT
PID - MW0903
STATE/COUNTY- CA/SISKIYOU
COUNTRY - US
USGS QUAD - KINYON (1990)
STATION DESCRIPTION
DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1920 (EWE)
A FOREST SERVICE LOOKOUT POINT 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF MC CLOUD,
ON HIGHEST POINT OF BLACK FOX MOUNTAIN. MARKED BY STANDARD
STATION DISK IN BEDROCK, NOTE 2.
STATION RECOVERY (1948)
RECOVERY NOTE BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1948 (WRH)
THE STATION WAS RECOVERED IN FAIR CONDITION. REFERENCE MARKS
AND AN UNDERGROUND STATION MARK WERE ESTABLISHED AS WILL BE
NOTED IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS. A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION
FOLLOWS.
THE STATION IS LOCATED ON THE SUMMIT OF BLACK FOX MOUNTAIN,
THE SAME PEAK THAT THE BLACK FOX LOOKOUT TOWER IS ON. IT IS
ABOUT 14 MILES AIRLINE EAST NORTHEAST OF MC CLOUD, ABOUT 7
MILES AIRLINE NORTH NORTHWEST OF THE BARTLE GUARD STATION.
THE STATION IS A STANDARD STATION DISK THAT IS SET IN A DRILL
HOLE IN A BOULDER THAT PROJECTS ABOUT 7 INCHES ABOVE THE GROUND.
IT IS 102.2 FEET SOUTHWEST OF THE CENTER OF THE LOOKOUT TOWER,
AND ON SLIGHTLY LOWER GROUND THAN THE LOOKOUT TOWER IS ON.
THE SURFACE MARK IS STAMPED BLACK FOX 1920 1948.
PID - MW0903
STATE/COUNTY- CA/SISKIYOU
COUNTRY - US
USGS QUAD - KINYON (1990)
STATION DESCRIPTION
DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1920 (EWE)
A FOREST SERVICE LOOKOUT POINT 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF MC CLOUD,
ON HIGHEST POINT OF BLACK FOX MOUNTAIN. MARKED BY STANDARD
STATION DISK IN BEDROCK, NOTE 2.
STATION RECOVERY (1948)
RECOVERY NOTE BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1948 (WRH)
THE STATION WAS RECOVERED IN FAIR CONDITION. REFERENCE MARKS
AND AN UNDERGROUND STATION MARK WERE ESTABLISHED AS WILL BE
NOTED IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS. A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION
FOLLOWS.
THE STATION IS LOCATED ON THE SUMMIT OF BLACK FOX MOUNTAIN,
THE SAME PEAK THAT THE BLACK FOX LOOKOUT TOWER IS ON. IT IS
ABOUT 14 MILES AIRLINE EAST NORTHEAST OF MC CLOUD, ABOUT 7
MILES AIRLINE NORTH NORTHWEST OF THE BARTLE GUARD STATION.
THE STATION IS A STANDARD STATION DISK THAT IS SET IN A DRILL
HOLE IN A BOULDER THAT PROJECTS ABOUT 7 INCHES ABOVE THE GROUND.
IT IS 102.2 FEET SOUTHWEST OF THE CENTER OF THE LOOKOUT TOWER,
AND ON SLIGHTLY LOWER GROUND THAN THE LOOKOUT TOWER IS ON.
THE SURFACE MARK IS STAMPED BLACK FOX 1920 1948.