CRANE RIDGE
Alameda County
August 6, 1921: "In 1904 the sheepmen and cattlemen of the Livermore Valley organized the first association to prevent fires on stock ranges in the United States. These men established a lookout on Crane Ridge, 12 miles southeast of Livermore, which overlooks the principle range sections of five counties. This was taken over by Alameda county, which now also pays for two fire patrolmen." (Pacific Rural Press)
December 18, 1921: "With the coming of the recent rains all fears of fire for this year have been removed and the lookout on Crane Ridge has been taken off.
McGlinchey attributes the success of the work this year to the vigilance of George Famariss the lookout at Crane Ridge.
McGlinchey points to an instance where Famariss telephoned in an alarm of fire at the Union oil station here before the fire siren was blown." (San Francisco Chronicle)
May 9, 1924: "The association recommended that Presedent John McGlinchey be appointed County Fire Warden and that John O'Meara be appointed lookout man for the Crane Ridge station.
O'Meara started his work on Monday and will reside at the station, this being imperative of the lookout man in the future." (Livermore Journal)
June 27, 1924: "John O'Meare, stationed with his wife at the lookout on Crane Ridge is staying at his post night and day. The extremely dry condition of the range grass makes a fire at this time a dangerous proposition." (Livermore Journal)
June 6, 1925: "The Stockmens Association is having built at Lookout, a home where Ernie Mendenhall, observer at that station, and his wife, may live throughout the summer. James L. Moy has been working on the house." (Livermore Journal)
February 20, 1926: "The Tesla Telephone Company, serving ranchers and cattlemen in the Livermore mountains, extends approximately fifty miles, from this city to Big Lake in San Joaquin county and to the Lookout station. It is connected with regular telephone lines and has time and again been the means of saving Livermore ranges from disastrous fires through warning messages transferred over its wires." (Livermore Journal)
May 8, 1926: "E.A. Mendenhall was recommended as lookout man at Crane Ridge." (Livermore Journal)
May 15, 1926: "Additions to the barn and residence at Lookout station were commenced this week when a load of lumber was hauled to the station. A room and porch is to be added to the house, the work being done by members of the association and patrolmen. Ernest Mendenhall, lookoutman, is moving with his family, to the station, after having spent the winter at the Overacker place." (Livermore Journal)
June 12, 1926: "Improvements at the Lookout residence, including screen porch and barn, have been completed, according to the committee in charge of the work." (Livermore Journal)
June 8, 1927: "Purchase of a pair of powerful field glasses, for the use of Mrs. Henrietta Mendenhall at the Lookout station, was authorized." (Livermore Journal)
June 29, 1927: "A pair of binoculars, the same type as is being used by the U.S. Government Forestry Service, has been ordered for use of the Lookout and should be received within a few days." (Livermore Journal)
July 21, 1927: "A representative of the TRIBUNE was in communication with Mrs. Mendenhall the Crane Ridge lookout, last night. The situation was so serious Tuesday night, she said, that she and her children did not remove their clothing, being ready to make a dash for safety at any time. Yesterday was the first time since Sunday that she had been able to get to the spring, about three-quarters of a mile away, to bring water to the cabin. Although the fire had broken out anew in several places, Mrs. Mendenhall did not feel that there was any danger of it reaching the lookout station unless the wind shifts." (Oakland Tribune)
July 27, 1927: "Mrs. Henrietta Mendenhall, stationed at the Lookout, relayed calls for help and reports on the fire. She stayed by her post even when the fire came within a half-mile of the Lookout." (Livermore Journal)
May 3, 1928: "Mrs. Henrietta Mendenhall was unanimously recommended for the position as lookout while the association endorsed Roy Schultz and Wm. McGlinchey for the mounted patrolman positions.
The association also recommended that County Fire Warden John McGlinchey be permitted to decide the time when lookout and patrolmen assume their duties. At the present time it appears that the lookout will commence work on May 10th." (Livermore Journal)
May 24, 1928: "Mrs. Henrietta Mendenhall, Crane Ridge lookout went of duty last week." (Livermore Journal)
July 29, 1928: "Using an ordinary table fork as a weapon Mrs. Henrietta Mendenhall, the only woman who has occupied the lonely fire lookout station on Crane Ridge, yesterday killed a rattlesnake which had crawled through a hole in the cabin floor to menace her and her two children.
While preparing lunch Mrs. Mendenhall discovered the snake in the floor, only a short distance from her children. The snake escaped through the hole in the floor before she could kill it. Water was poured through the hole in an unsuccessful attempt to drive it out.
Filling a spray gun with an insecticide, used in killing flies, the woman sprayed the liquid into the hole for several minutes, then crouched over the hole with fork poised for a quick thrust. She did not have long to wait. Seeking fresh air, the snake stuck its head through the hole. Quick as a flash Mrs. Mendenhall drove the prongs of the fork through its neck, less than an inch behind its head. The snake writhed furiously but she clung doggedly to the fork, pinning its head to the floor until it ceased to struggle." (Oakland Tribune)
While preparing lunch Mrs. Mendenhall discovered the snake in the floor, only a short distance from her children. The snake escaped through the hole in the floor before she could kill it. Water was poured through the hole in an unsuccessful attempt to drive it out.
Filling a spray gun with an insecticide, used in killing flies, the woman sprayed the liquid into the hole for several minutes, then crouched over the hole with fork poised for a quick thrust. She did not have long to wait. Seeking fresh air, the snake stuck its head through the hole. Quick as a flash Mrs. Mendenhall drove the prongs of the fork through its neck, less than an inch behind its head. The snake writhed furiously but she clung doggedly to the fork, pinning its head to the floor until it ceased to struggle." (Oakland Tribune)
May 2, 1929: "Frank Teeter and Geo. Kruger, local carpenters, have been working during the past week remodelling the Lookout station at Crane's Ridge. The old building is being relines with tongue and grooved lumber. Mrs. Henrietta Mendenhall will be stationed there again this year." (Livermore Journal)
May 16, 1929: "Mrs. Henrietta Mendenhall, who attends to the duties of lookout at the Crane Ridge station, has taken up her position there." (Livermore Journal)
August 20, 1929: "The alertness of Mrs. Henrietta Mendenhall, the lookout at the lonely Crane Ridge station, may have prevented the destruction by fire of the camp at the Mocho shaft of the Hetch Hetchy tunnel. The fire, said to have been started by a hunter, had burned within 100 feet of the camp without having been discovered by the workmen when John McGlinchey, county fire warden, and his crew responded to Mrs. Mendenhall's call. Hunters were said to be responsible for another fire in Corral Hollow yesterday but it was extinguished by Jimmy McGlinchey, one of the mounted patrolmen, before serious damage had resulted." (Oakland Tribune)
November 3, 1929: "Mounted patrolmen and the lookout at the Crane Ridge station were back in civilization today after having spent the summer months in the Livermore hills guarding the grazing land from fire. They were relieved from duty yesterday by County Fire Warden John McGlinchey, as it is believed that the danger season has passed." (Oakland Tribune)
April 10, 1930: "Fire Warden John McGlinchey was authorized to repair the Tesla telephone line from the Townsend schoolhouse to the lookout station station and place it in first-class condition in readiness for the coming season." (Livermore Journal)
May 13, 1930: "Recent rains in the Livermore hills have served to keep the grass green on the range land later than usual this summer and the Crane Ridge lookout and mounted patrolmen may not go on duty until the latter part of the month, according to John McGlinchey, county fire warden." (Oakland Tribune)
May 22, 1930: "Geo. Famariss, who will be stationed at the Crane Ridge lookout station, substituting for Mrs. Henrietta Mendenhall, took up his duties on Monday." (Livermore Journal)
April 19, 1931: "Mrs. Henrietta Mendenhall, the only woman to serve as a fire lookout in the state, is expected to return to her lonely post on Crane Ridge early in May, according to John McGlinchey, county fire warden. After occupying the lookout station for three fire seasons Mrs. Mendenhall declined to accept the appointment last year but she has been prevailed upon to return to the ridge again this summer.
In the past she has not only proven equal to the hardships of the post but has made an enviable record, McGlinchey said. She is said to know every inch of the territory she surveys from the lofty station and seems to have been able to use the fabled "women's intuition" in sensing fires and establishing their exact location.
Due to unusually dry weather this spring, the lookout and the mounted fire patrolmen are expected to go on duty about May 1. In the past they have gone on duty about the middle of May. McGlinchey has selected his crew of fire fighters which will man the new fire truck that was turned over to him the week by the board of supervisors. He is anticipating one of the most active seasons of his career this summer." (Oakland Tribune)
May 7, 1931: "Members of the fire patrol assisting Mrs Henrietta Mendenhall, fire lookout, in moving her household effects to her station on Crane Ridge Wednesday. She is accompanied by her two small sons." (Livermore Journal)
May 10, 1932: "Hampered by a shortage of funds but favored by late rains which have kept the grass green much later than usual, John McGlinchey, county fire warden, does not expect to place the Crane Ridge lookout and mounted fire patrolmen on duty before June 1. Usually they go on duty about May 1.
Mrs. Henrietta Mendenhall, the only woman fire lookout in the state, again will occupy the lonely Crane Ridge station." (Oakland Tribune)
June 3, 1932: "Mrs. Henrietta Mendenhall, the only woman fire lookout in California and one of two in the west, has assumed her post at the lonely Crane Ridge station according to John McGlinchey, county fire warden.
Mrs. Mendenhall has served as lookout for four years. According to McGlinchey, she knows every inch of the territory she surveys and is able to give exact location of a fire the moment she discovers the smoke." (Oakland Tribune)
May 30, 1933: "Mrs. Henrietta Mendenhall will be placed on duty as the lookout." (Livermore Journal)
June 2, 1933: "The crew under direction of County Fire Warden John McGlinchey are this week putting the finishing touches to repairing the telephone line running up to the Crane Ridge lookout.
Work on the line will be completed Saturday, McGlinchey said." (Livermore Journal)
July 25, 1933: "Breaking out last Thursday afternoon, a grass fire which swept over 200 acres on the Holm Brothers ranch east of Camp Repose was battled for over 5 hours by the Alameda County Fire Patrol before it was brought under control.
It was only through the intensive efforts of the patrol that the lookout station on Crane Ridge was saved from the flames. Two men were kept watching on the scene of the fire all day Friday to prevent any possibility of its outbreak again from sparks smoldering in the burned area.
Origin of the fire was undetermined." (Livermore Journal)
It was only through the intensive efforts of the patrol that the lookout station on Crane Ridge was saved from the flames. Two men were kept watching on the scene of the fire all day Friday to prevent any possibility of its outbreak again from sparks smoldering in the burned area.
Origin of the fire was undetermined." (Livermore Journal)
March 8, 1934: "There will be no mounted patrolmen to assist in the prevention of fires in the Livermore Hills this summer, although the fire hazard is expected to be the most serious in more than 40 years.
According to John McGlinchey, Alameda County Fire Warden, the Board of Supervisors has cut the appropriation for the fire patrol in half this year and elimination of the mounted patrol will be necessary.
The lookout on Crane Ridge will be maintained and McGlinchey will maintain a slightly smaller force of fire fighters which will endeavor to prevent fires from sweeping through the range land upon which thousands of cattle are feeding. The mild winter has resulted in a crop of grass which has not equaled since 1886, the warden stated." (Oakland Tribune)
November 4, 1934: "Heavy rains which fell this week are expected to end the lonely vigil of Mrs. Henrietta Mendenhall, the fire lookout, who occupies a cabin on the wind swept Crane Ridge during the Summer months.
Mrs. Mendenhall is one of the most picturesque characters of the Livermore cattle country. John McGlinchey, Alameda County Fire Warden, contends that Mrs. Mendenhall can sense a fire even when she is asleep.
Every foot of the Livermore Mountains are familiar to her, and from her perch on the ridge she is able to telephone the exact location of any fire immediately.
During the Summer vacation period her two small children occupy the cabin with her, but during the school terms she lives alone, her only connection with civilization being a telephone.
McGlinchey can tell many tales of her adventures on the ridge, ranging from battles with rattlesnakes to repairing the telephone line when her cabin was surrounded by fire." (Oakland Tribune)
April 7, 1941: "Proposed reconstruction of the lookout station on Crane Ridge also will be considered at the meeting. It is proposed to add a tower room to the station and alter one room for garage use.
The building suffered from wind damage this winter." (The Hayward Daily Review)
May 11, 1941: "Construction of a new tower room at the fire lookout on Crane Ridge was under way today as County Fire Warden James McGlinchey opened final preparations for the coming fire season.
McGlinchey said the new structure will be ready by the end of the month. It will give improved visibility of the valley and surrounding hills, from the lookout.
Two-way radios, which will be installed in fire trucks, are now being built. McGlinchey expects lookout and mounted fire patrolmen to be on duty by May 15." (Oakland Tribune)
May 17, 1942: "Fire season had officially arrived here today with the announcement by County Fire Warden James McGlinchey that the Crane Ridge Lookout is now in operation.
Mrs. Henrietta Mendenhall has returned to duty at the lookout." (Oakland Tribune)
DESIGNATION - CRANE
PID - HS5023
STATE/COUNTY- CA/ALAMEDA
COUNTRY - US
USGS QUAD - CEDAR MTN (1994)
STATION DESCRIPTION
DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1946 (WMG)
THE STATION IS LOCATED BY THE FOLLOWING APPROXIMATE AIRLINE
DISTANCES--10 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LIVERMORE AND 14 MILES SOUTHWEST
OF TRACY. IT IS LOCATED ON THE NORTHERNMOST AND HIGHEST POINT
OF CRANE RIDGE. THE STATION IS A TRIANGULATION STATION DISC
STAMPED CRANE 1946 SET FLUSH IN THE TOP OF A CONCRETE MONUMENT
PROJECTING 3 INCHES ABOVE THE SURROUNDING SURFACE. IT IS
APPROXIMATELY 25 FEET WEST OF THE LOOKOUT AND 4 FEET EAST OF
A 4 INCH SQUARE WHITE WITNESS POST.
TO REACH THE STATION FROM THE FLAG POLE AT THE INTERSECTION
OF SOUTH LIVERMORE AVENUE AND 1ST STREET IN LIVERMORE GO
SOUTHEAST ON SOUTH LIVERMORE AVENUE FOR 2.35 MILES TO THE MINES
ROAD RIGHT, (SOUTH LIVERMORE AVENUE BECOMES TESLA ROAD). TAKE
THE MINES ROAD SOUTH AS PER SIGN AND GO 3.55 MILES TO FORKS AND
SIGNS MENDENHALL ROAD AND MINES ROAD. TAKE THE LEFT FORK, MINES
ROAD, AND CONTINUE FOR 7.1 MILES TO A NARROW ROAD LEFT. TAKE
THIS LEFT FORK UP A STEEP GRADE FOR 0.1 MILE TO AN IRON FRAMED
WIRE GATE, PASS THROUGH THE GATE AND CONTINUE UP GRADE FOR
1.0 MILE TO FORKS. TAKE THE LEFT FORK FOR 0.05 MILE TO
ANOTHER FORKS HERE AGAIN TAKE THE LEFT FORK AND GO 1.95 MILES
TO THE AZIMUTH ON THE RIGHT THENCE CONTINUE FOR 0.45 MILES
TO THE STATION AS DESCRIBED.