SAN DIEGO COUNTY
HOT SPRINGS MOUNTAIN
Cleveland National Forest
T10S-R4E-17
T10S-R4E-17
June 5, 1913: "On the top of a huge boulder on the extreme top of Hot Springs mountain, about seven miles north of Warner's Hot Springs, is a little, one room frame building that has been built to serve as a look-out tower for the rangers of the Cleveland national forest to be used in locating fires. Windows have been fitted into the walls of the building on all four sides to afford a view of as much of the forest as possible.
In the center of the room stands a table with a map of the territory within a radius of 10 miles of the station. It is drawn in detail and around it all is drawn a circle graduated into degrees.
The forest ranger on duty in the tower is furnished with a pair of field glasses and a compass. As soon as he locates any smoke on the horizon he at once gets its direction from the tower by the use of the compass. Then he turns to the map and lays out the line on it. Other rangers in similar look-outs spot the smoke and locate it from their positions. Then all telephone headquarters where all the lines are drawn on the map. They converge on the exact location of the fire. This enables the chief forester to send his fire fighters directly to the scene of the fire.
Fires have been located in this way at a distance of from 65 to 70 miles." (The Daybook - Chicago, Illinois)
September 2, 1921: "Olin McClard at Hot Springs Lookout said that the lightning struck the lookout house, making such a noise that it scared his dog away, and that he (the dog) never stopped running until he reached Warners Springs. The lightning did no damage, as the lightning rods worked O.K. (Wolin)" (California District News Letter)
August 13, 1937: "Early in June, 1937, Ranger Hayward of the Cleveland Forest found it necessary to have a crew of carpenters packed into Hot Springs, which, incidentally, is the only lookout on the Cleveland Forest that cannot be reached in an automobile. Packing was done by an outside outfit of packers at Warner Hot Springs, near Lake Henshaw. In checking over Ranger Hayward's diary for the month of June, we note the following information:
"Went to Warner Springs to pack carpenters and material to Hot Springs Lookout. First, taught the packer how to pack."
I wonder if this brings back any memories to the Forest Officers of ten or fifteen years ago who had to do their own packing, but didn't find it necessary to teach the men who hired out as packers how to pack their mules before they could start. -A.G.B. - Cleveland -" (California Ranger)
August 14, 1939: "William Charlton, in charge of the lookout tower on the hot springs mountain peak, was forced to flee for his life when flames threatened destruction of the tower. He hurriedly buried his equipment in the garbage dump and fled down the trail to the Warner Springs hotel. It took him an hour to make the trip through the dense smoke." (The San Bernardino County Sun)
