COTTONWOOD PASS
Kings County - California Department of Forestry - 24S-17E-12
May 29, 1935: "A second station already is in operation at a point on the Cottonwood Pass road overlooking the Kettleman Plains. E.R. Wiles has been appointed lookout man and has charge of a fire truck equipped with a 250-gallon water tank and chemical fire extinguishers." (The Fresno Bee The Republican)
June 9, 1935: "There is no telephone in the lookout station on Reef Ridge, but a call made to the Reef station of the Associated Oil Company through the Coalinga exchange will be relayed to the lookout. Toll charges may be reversed in reporting fires." (The Fresno Bee The Republican)
July 16, 1935: "Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Griswold and daughter Marilyn were Sunday visitors at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Elmo Wiles at the lookout station near Avenal." (The Hanford Sentinel)
August 21, 1935: "Supplied with maps showing the location of hydrants and potential sources of water supply, Fire Warden J.C. Griswold left here early today for a visit with fire lookouts at the two stations on the Westside. The maps will be delivered to the watchers at their lonely posts.
Griswold has completed plans for the installation of a telephone at the Cottonwood Pass station where lookout E.R. Wiles is in charge. Due to the lateness of the season, however, and the flinty condition of the ground where postholes must be dug, the installation will be deferred until next spring.
Wiles is supplied with one of the fire trucks which already have rendered such useful service. His nearest telephone is four miles distant at the Associated Pipeline company office, Reefe station. His high lookout post is so advantageously situated, however, that he had seldom felt the need of a telephone, the warden reports." (The Hanford Sentinel)
April 29, 1936: "The lookout station on Rattlesnake Hill in the Cottonwood Pass will open May 3. Elmo Wiles will be in charge with a fire truck. A telephone line connecting the station with Avenal and Coalinga is now being constructed. The call will be Cottonwood Pass lookout station." (The Hanford Sentinel)
April 27, 1937: "The Cottonwood Pass lookout station has been moved to a more sightly location and a new road connection is being constructed. New telephone connections have also been installed.
The station and the truck stationed there will be in charge, during the season, of B.B. Austin. The station will go into operation May 1" (The Hanford Sentinel)
October 4, 1941: "Belated reports of the damage wrought by the San Joaquin valley's 'Big Wind' of Thursday revealed that the roof of the Cottonwood Pass fire lookout station has been stripped off by a gale that reached 60 miles per hour.
Howling gusts whipped off the roof of the caretaker's garage piece by piece at the same time, County Fire Warden J.C. Griswold said. The windstorm, which hit the west side of the valley harder than the Hanford area, broke many of the windows in the lookout and residence also.
Lookout Melvin Palmer and his family moved to Kettleman City to set up temporary headquarters while workmen strove to repair the damage in the face of increased fire danger all over the state. Griswold estimated the damage at $100.
Communication with the lookout post was halted likewise when the wind carried away the telephone line, the fire warden reported. This was expected to be repaired today." (The Hanford Sentinel)