HUMBOLDT COUNTY
PRATT MOUNTAIN
California Department of Forestry
April 4, 1931: "A thirty foot steel lookout tower will be erected this Spring on Pratt Mountain." (Fresno Bee)
October 26, 1935: "The Pratt lookout station, near Harris has been closed for the season and F.R. Chase, lookout man, and Mrs. Chase have gone to Redding to visit relatives." (Blue Lake Advocate)
September 24, 1985: "In an unusual ruling, a radio station has been ordered to drastically cut power because its transmission tower bombards occupants of a fire lookout tower only 67 feet away.
The fire lookouts were being exposed to unsafe levels of radio frequency radiation from the antenna of station KERG less than 35 yards away on Pratt Mountain in southern Humboldt County, state officials said.
The Federal Communications Commission initially ordered the 100,000-watt station to cut power in half, then ordered it to slash to 2,000 watts until fire season ends Oct. 1, Officials said.
The station had erected a copper screen shield which substantially reduced radio waves, said Jim Miranda of the state Department of Forestry, but not enough to meet state occupational health and safety standards." (Ukiah Daily Journal)
June 25, 2011: Upon visiting the tower and finding it dismantled, it was learned the Eel River Work Camp was employed in the removal of the tower sometime during the winter months. At this time it is unknown as to the fate of the cab and 14 feet of the tower.