FRAZIER MOUNTAIN
Ventura County - Los Padres National Forest
December 7, 1920: "Mrs. Mary Smith, said to be the only woman lookout in the Government's Forest Service, leads a lonely but contented life these days, perched high above the surrounding country in a station on the summit of Mount Frazier, in the Ventura section of the Santa Barbara forest reserve.
With the snow falling on Frazier Mountain it will be a matter of only a few weeks until her lofty station will be cut off from the rest of the world, except on the few occasions that provisions are brought to her on hardy pack-horses.
However, Mrs. Smith enjoys the life of the mountain wilds. She likes to hunt and trap. Mountain lions, wild cats, bear and coyotes do not terrify her. She is an expert with a rifle and only recently killed a mountain lion that approached her station.
It is ten miles from the building in which Mrs. Smith makes her home and from which she watches Uncle Sam's forests to the nearest habitation. Through the summer season her principal work, of course, is to watch closely, with the aid of powerful field glasses, for signs of an incipient forest fire." (The Daily Mail - Hagerstown, Maryland)
With the snow falling on Frazier Mountain it will be a matter of only a few weeks until her lofty station will be cut off from the rest of the world, except on the few occasions that provisions are brought to her on hardy pack-horses.
However, Mrs. Smith enjoys the life of the mountain wilds. She likes to hunt and trap. Mountain lions, wild cats, bear and coyotes do not terrify her. She is an expert with a rifle and only recently killed a mountain lion that approached her station.
It is ten miles from the building in which Mrs. Smith makes her home and from which she watches Uncle Sam's forests to the nearest habitation. Through the summer season her principal work, of course, is to watch closely, with the aid of powerful field glasses, for signs of an incipient forest fire." (The Daily Mail - Hagerstown, Maryland)
October 30, 1924: "One of the purposed roads will be to the new Frazier Mountain lookout in Ventura County and the other is to be an addition to the present road to Figeroa Mountain lookout in the Zaca district." (The Oxnard Daily Courier)
October 30, 1924: "One of the purposed roads will be to the new Frazier Mountain lookout in Ventura County and the other is to be an addition to the present road to Figeroa Mountain lookout in the Zaca district." (The Oxnard Daily Courier)
January 8, 1929: "The highest airplane beacon station in southern California is being considered for the Santa Barbara national forest.
Forest Supervisor W.V. Mendenhall is negotiating with Antar Derago, aerological station and lookout to be erected on the very summit of Mount Frazier.
Mount Frazier pierces the sky at an altitude of over 8,000 feet, and the observatory now being considered will rise 35 feet above the mountain's tipmost peak, taking it above the pine trees.
The present forest lookout station at that point is the oldest lookout in the Santa Barbara forest and since its completion many years ago, the facilities for such stations have been vastly changed and improved.
"We are considering a new lookout and at the same time the idea has occurred why not combine a forestry lookout station with an aerological station, particularly when Mount Frazier offers such an altitudenous position, rising to the ceiling of the sky, below which most fliers travel. It would be a landmark observable for many miles helping the flier chart his course through the sky and at the same time would also be a source of wind conditions.
Mr, Derago is in charge of the Guggenheim air station on the Ridge Route, and supplies constant aero-information to fliers making the long flight between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Interested in having Mount Frazier topped with an aerological station are other aviation and business interests of national import, including the U.S. Mail service." (The Oxnard Daily-Courier)
February 4, 1932: "A low barometer at Frazier Mountain Park this morning indicated that the storm which seemed to be breaking yesterday was sweeping into the region with renewed vigor, challenging the efforts to reach the lost air liner, now believed wrecked and its passengers probably dead.
Four of the search party, including Los Angeles sheriff's officers, did not return to the Frazier base camp last night and it is hoped that they have broken their way into the lookout station maintained by the Santa Barbara National Park ranger service at the top of Frazier Mountain, 8,306 feet in altitude.
No lights were noted in the cabin last night, however, and the phone at the lookout station was dead. No one had responded to attempts to call it this morning.
A party of Los Angeles officers under the direction of Captain Casey Jones, left early this morning in a dash to reach the four members of the missing search party.
The party had been working for two days in an attempt to reach the lookout station by beating a trail over the snow covered road built be the forest service, and it was hoped to break through to the top late yesterday afternoon.
The lookout station is commodious, offering food, sleeping accommodations and stoves for use by the rescue parties who may reach it." (Fresno Bee)
February 4, 1932: "A low barometer at Frazier Mountain Park this morning indicated that the storm which seemed to be breaking yesterday was sweeping into the region with renewed vigor, challenging the efforts to reach the lost air liner, now believed wrecked and its passengers probably dead.
Four of the search party, including Los Angeles sheriff's officers, did not return to the Frazier base camp last night and it is hoped that they have broken their way into the lookout station maintained by the Santa Barbara National Park ranger service at the top of Frazier Mountain, 8,306 feet in altitude.
No lights were noted in the cabin last night, however, and the phone at the lookout station was dead. No one had responded to attempts to call it this morning.
A party of Los Angeles officers under the direction of Captain Casey Jones, left early this morning in a dash to reach the four members of the missing search party.
The party had been working for two days in an attempt to reach the lookout station by beating a trail over the snow covered road built be the forest service, and it was hoped to break through to the top late yesterday afternoon.
The lookout station is commodious, offering food, sleeping accommodations and stoves for use by the rescue parties who may reach it." (Fresno Bee)
August 14, 1932: "Miles away from railroad or main highway, the fire lookout at Frazier peak receives his daily paper by airplane.
A small group gathers twice a day to gaze at a speeding airplane as it drops a San Francisco newspaper on the way to Los Angeles and a Los Angeles newspaper on its way north again later in the day." (The Salt Lake Tribune - Utah)
August 14, 1932: "Miles away from railroad or main highway, the fire lookout at Frazier peak receives his daily paper by airplane.
A small group gathers twice a day to gaze at a speeding airplane as it drops a San Francisco newspaper on the way to Los Angeles and a Los Angeles newspaper on its way north again later in the day." (The Salt Lake Tribune - Utah)
August 29, 1932: "President Hoover, who has his Sunday papers delivered by airplane at Camp Rapidan has nothing on the lookout man on Frazier Mountain, Santa Barbara Forest, who gets his Los Angeles or San Francisco papers daily via air. Jess Hart, pilot of the Varney Speed Line between the Bay City and southern California, politely flies over the lookout, drops the morning paper, banks his low-winged flash of speed and levels off to continue on his journey. Delivery started July 7 and has resulted in friendly interchange of letters between lookout and pilot. - R-5 Bulletin" (Forest Service Bulletin)
August 29, 1932: "President Hoover, who has his Sunday papers delivered by airplane at Camp Rapidan has nothing on the lookout man on Frazier Mountain, Santa Barbara Forest, who gets his Los Angeles or San Francisco papers daily via air. Jess Hart, pilot of the Varney Speed Line between the Bay City and southern California, politely flies over the lookout, drops the morning paper, banks his low-winged flash of speed and levels off to continue on his journey. Delivery started July 7 and has resulted in friendly interchange of letters between lookout and pilot. - R-5 Bulletin" (Forest Service Bulletin)
August 18, 1933: "Mrs. Laine Davis who has been with her husband at the Frazier Mountain lookout station since the opening of the fire season, is visiting with her husband's mother at Los Olivos." (Santa Ynez Valley News)
December 19, 1933: "Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Greene have returned to their home for the winter after staying several months at the Frazier Mountain lookout station, where Mr. Greene is employed by the state forestry department." (The Bakersfield Californian)
May 11, 1934: "Mr. and Mrs. Laine Davis are visiting at the home of his parents in Los Olivos. Mr. Davis will be stationed at the lookout on Frazier Mountain this season." (Santa Ynez Valley News)
August 8, 1956: "Quick action by several crews of trained forest fire fighters brought a potentially dangerous fire at the peak of Frazier mountain under control yesterday with loss of only 50 acres of pine and brush.
Pinos Forest district ranger Tom Neff praised quick reporting by Frazier Mountain Lookout Lee Hartley.
Carelessness of one or more deer hunters was blamed for the blaze." (Santa Cruz Sentinel)
November 14, 1956: The Forest Service operated a Ground Observer Corps post out of the lookout. (Press-Courier
November 17, 1958: "The lookout stationed at Frazier Peak was to be brought down today provided trucks can climb the road up the mountain. Snow has reportedly drifted some three feet deep along the road." (Oxnard Press-Courier)
November 17, 1958: "The lookout stationed at Frazier Peak was to be brought down today provided trucks can climb the road up the mountain. Snow has reportedly drifted some three feet deep along the road." (Oxnard Press-Courier)