SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
EAGLE ROCK
California Department of Forestry
November 4, 1934: "Work on the
latest link of the county's fire suppression system was under way in
the San Lorenzo Valley today. It is the erection of a lookout tower on
Eagle Rock behind Boulder Creek.
Men from the CCC camp at Big Basin have been impressed into service on the tower and in the construction of a road leading to the top of the peak which will give the forestry service a commanding view of the entire west end of the county." (Oakland Tribune)
Men from the CCC camp at Big Basin have been impressed into service on the tower and in the construction of a road leading to the top of the peak which will give the forestry service a commanding view of the entire west end of the county." (Oakland Tribune)
July 30, 1938: "Mrs. Rose Rostron, county supervisor of Branciforte district, will break the bottle of some kind of liquid that will emphasize the dedication of the fine new fire lookout tower at Eagle Rock tomorrow. The dedication exercises have been set for noon and it is anticipated fully a thousand persons will be on hand.
Eagle Rock is on the Locatelli ranch at the north end of the Empire grade and there are several safe and good avenues leading to the scene.
Professor Woodbridge Metcalf, extension forester of the University of California, will be the chief speaker and will discuss the value of forests in this county. He will also talk on the proposed Loma Prieta forest." (Santa Cruz Evening News)
July 25, 1944: "The fire warden said he was ready to call on nearby army posts for help if the fire jumps the ridge and threatens to reach the proportions of the 1936 blaze, which burned from September 26 to October 30 in that year and was fought by hundreds of men and CCC boys.
It was first sighted by the Eagle peak lookout station on Empire ridge shortly after 4:30 a.m., and a few minutes later by the Bielawski lookout on Skyline boulevard south of Saratoga gap. A fog obscured visibility, but was too high to be of benefit to the firefighters." (San Mateo Times)
August 11, 1978: "A quick attack by the California Department of Forestry this morning confined a fire which broke out on China Ridge at the northeast boundary of Big Basin State Park to little more than an acre.
The fire first was spotted just after 8 a.m. by a tower lookout at Eagle Peak who noticed a "bubble" in the fog. Heat caused the bubble, according to firemen." (The Times - San Mateo)
October 3, 1975: "Veteran fire lookout Clifford "Mac" McLaughlin has reluctantly given up his post high in the Santa Cruz mountains near Big Basin.
He has spent the past 17 years at Eagle Rock Lookout tower during the summer fire season for the San Mateo-Santa Cruz Ranger unit of the California Division of Forestry.
The tower perched on the top of the 2,500 foot mountain, offers a commanding view. On exceptionally clear days McLaughlin said you can see the Farallon Islands to the north, the snow line on the Sierra Nevada's to the East, and a 75-mile stretch of Pacific Ocean to the West.
Thick redwood forests cover the lower hills in the immediate area surrounding Eagle Rock. It is hard to imagine that the Bay Area--entirely hidden from the Eagle Rock by the Skyline Boulevard ridge--lies so close to the rugged setting. (The Times - San Mateo)