SHASTA COUNTY
BURNEY MOUNTAIN
Lassen National Forest
October 20, 1934: "The road to the top of Burney Butte is almost completed. It is being built by a CCC crew. A lookout station will be built on Burney Butte, probably this fall." (The Searchlight)
June 9, 1938: "T. Davis will be the Burney Butte lookout as soon as he can move to the station."
"A bulldozer is moving a snow bank that blocks the road about two thirds of the way up to Burney Butte summit. It is expected to be at work three days before the blockade is cleared." (The Searchlight)
September 24, 1938: "Paul Davis, who has been lookout on Burney butte this season, left Saturday for Chico to attend college. Mr. and Mrs. Carroll Smith, lookout on the rim above Hat Creek valley took Davis' place." (The Searchlight)
July 3, 1941: "Last Monday, Claude Crane of the Hat Creek Ranger Station called the Redding Shop and asked for mechanical service on a Cletrac 55 which was being used to open the Burney Mountain Lookout road. He explained that rats or porcupines had eaten the insulation from the high tension wires and had also eaten the upper radiator hose.
The same day, after Angus March of the Redding Shop had made the necessary repairs and was filling the radiator, he was surprised when three good sized rats crawled out of the radiator filling spout. The shop hopes there were no drowned corpses left. --H.A. Mullin, Supt. Redding Shop--" (California Ranger)
October 28, 1965: "Irwin E. Bosworth, Forest Supervisor of the Lassen National Forest, announced last week that the Burney Mountain Lookout building, now over 30 years old will soon be replaced with a new structure of concrete block and steel cab. He stated that a contract has recently been awarded to Merle W. Means of Oroville, for this project. Included in the contract is the dismantling of the old tower located on Burney Mountain at an elevation of 7,850 feet, approximately 18 miles southwest of Burney. The bid price submitted by Mr. Means was $24,215. There were two other bidders.
Superintendent for Mr. Means is Mr. Walter Blackston who estimates the start of construction at the site to be next May, with minor foundation work to begin this fall if weather permits. The cab will be pre-fabricated during the winter months. Grant Gulseth will be the Forest Service Inspector.
Supervisor Bosworth commented that the Burney Mountain Lookout has always been a very important factor in the over-all fire detection facilities of the Lassen National Forest. It is one of the twelve lookouts placed in strategic locations throughout the Lassen Forest." (Chester Progressive)
October 13, 1971: "Mrs. Dell Duey has returned to Red Bluff after serving the summer as a fire lookout at Burney Mountain in the Hat Creek District, Lassen National Forest. She had been there since June 24. Her station was at an elevation of almost 8000 feet." (Red Bluff Daily News)
DESIGNATION - BURNEY MOUNTAIN LOT 1948
PID - LT0733
STATE/COUNTY- CA/SHASTA
COUNTRY - US
USGS QUAD - BURNEY MOUNTAIN WEST (1995)
STATION DESCRIPTION
DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1948
THE BURNEY MTN. LOOKOUT TOWER IS A STANDARD USFS LOOKOUT BUILDING THAT
IS ELEVATED 12 FEET OFF THE GROUND. THE BOTTOM SECTION OF THE TOWER
IS ENCLOSED AND IS USED FOR A STORE ROOM. THERE IS A WOODEN STAIRWAY
FROM THE GROUND TO THE LEVEL OF THE UPPER FLOOR AND IS ON THE EAST
SIDE OF THE TOWER.
TO REACH THE STATION FROM THE US POST OFFICE IN BURNEY GO SOUTHWEST ON
US HIGHWAY 299 FOR 1.6 MILES TO A PRIVATE LOGGING ROAD ON THE LEFT.
TURN LEFT, SOUTH, AND FOLLOW THIS LOGGING ROAD FOR 5.6 MILES TO THE
SOUTH END OF A SWAMP AND A ROAD TO THE LEFT. TURN LEFT, EAST, AND
KEEP THE FIRST RIGHT HAND ROAD AND GO EASTERLY UP A STEEP GRADE AND
GO 2.5 MILES TO A T-ROAD LEFT. TURN LEFT, NORTH, AND GO AS PER SIGN
BURNEY MTN L.O. 7 AND GO UP THE EXTRA STEEP MOUNTAIN GRADE TO THE TOP
OF THE MOUNTAIN AND THE LOOKOUT ON THE SUMMIT AS DESCRIBED. THIS LAST
MILEAGE IS CLOSE TO 7.0 MILES, IT COULD NOT BE CHECKED TOO CLOSE
DUE TO THE CONDITION OF THE ROAD.
STATION RECOVERY (1973)
RECOVERY NOTE BY NATIONAL GEODETIC SURVEY 1973 (CLN)
THE OLD BURNEY MOUNTAIN LOOKOUT TOWER HAS BEEN REMOVED AND A NEW
LOOKOUT BUILDING HAS BEEN BUILT IN A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT LOCATION.