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SISKIYOU COUNTY
SCHONCHIN BUTTE
Lava Beds National Monument
1934: "Recommendations:
1. Steps to be built to the top of Schonchin.
2. Lookout be erected on Hippo Butte for use after electric storms or other times of high fire hazard. There is about 1/4 of the monument area that is not within the view of any of the present lookouts and in addition quite a portion of the Shasta National Forest, north of Medicine Lake is in a blind area. (A Report on the Lava Beds National Monument - 1934)
August 15, 1940: "Materials and furniture for a new forest fire lookout station atop Schonchin Butte in Lava Beds national monument are being packed up a narrow mountain trail by a score of CCC enrollees. Four sides of the building will be constructed of large sheets of plate glass." (Albany Democrat-Herald)
1939 - 1941: The following are excerpts from the CCC Monthly Narratives:
March 2, 1939 - "Surveys are also in progress for a trail to top of Schonchin Butte, with topography for a lookout at that point."
April 2, 1939 - "Surveys were made for lookout location, trail, telephone line to the top of Schonchin Butte."
June 1, 1940 - "Job LB 96: Horse trail to the top of Schonchin Butte. 70 M/Ds. Under Mr. Brooks. This work is practically complete or 90%. Awaiting some details from Mr. Lange and final completion."
"Job LB 101: Lookout, Schonchin Butte, 23 M/Ds. Materials nearly all on hand, blacksmith busy fabricating special iron work. All fitting will be done in camp, then erected at location."
June 30, 1940 - "Job LB 96: Horse trail, Schonchin Butte, 32 M/Ds, expended making a few changes in the turns, also work done at the top of the butte; one can walk to the top now, in ten minutes, without getting fatigued."
"Job LB 101: Lookout, Schonchin Butte, 54 M/Ds, used at the camp shop, preparing materials to be transported to the site, also in clearing and leveling off site of proposed building."
August 1, 1940 - "Job LB 101: Schonchin Butte Lookout, 86 M/Ds. The cement, lumber, water and tools are all on the site, construction should be speeded up considerably."
September 1, 1940 - "Job LB 94: Schonchin Butte Lookout; 68 M/Ds stringing wire to top of butte."
"Job LB 101: Schonchin Butte Lookout. 208 M/Ds. 80% of all materials on site, rock work well under way and rough framing assembled in place."
October 1, 1940 - "Job LB 94: Schonchin Butte extension; 68 M/Ds. Stringing wire to top of Schonchin Butte, wire is now to pole at top of butte, but not into lookout."
"Job LB 101: Lookout Schonchin Butte, 271 M/Ds. Rough framing and rock work completed, roofing to go on next, heavy winds have delayed the work somewhat, but the time has been spent in getting out the cabinet work."
November 1, 1940 - "Job LB 101: Lookout Schonchin Butte, 234 M/Ds, this job is virtually complete except for interior cabinet work, and lightning conductors on the outside. Stone steps, and terraces, picnic tables etc., will be done under another job, plans for which are now being made."
February 28, 1941 - "Job LB 94: Telephone extension to Schonchin Butte, 23 man days used in digging a 12 inch trench through cinders and lava for the telephone line to the lookout."
"Job LB 101: Lookout, Schonchin Butte, 23 man days expended in repairing South and East portions of the roofing, which was torn off by the excessive winds."
June 1, 1941 - "Job LB 101: Lookout Schonchin Butte, 12 man days used in starting the flooring of the lookout."
July 1, 1941 - "Job LB 101: Lookout, Schonchin Butte, 13 man days used in building and installing fire finder in lookout."
August 1, 1941 - "Job LB 101: Schonchin Butte Lookout firefinder stand completed using 2 man days."
"Job LB 111: "Landscape Plan for Schonchin Butte Fire Lookout Area'. Work began May 19th, project completed July 25th, within allotted man days and materials. Work delayed two weeks on account of fire fighting and changing status of company enrollment."
September 3, 1941 - "Job LB 108: Landscaping Undiff. 6 man days, Schonchin Butte Lookout."
May 8, 1941: "Schonchin butte, 5293 foot peak in the Lava beds, will be occupied soon by a fire lookout who will spend the summer in the small rock and glass house built last fall by CCC enrollees. The building required 11 1/2 tons of material all 'packed' to the top by the crew over a steep trail.
The room, 15 by 15 feet, will be bedroom, living room, kitchen and office. A small basement beneath the rock base will provide storage space and an overhanging eave will solve the problem of water for household use if rain falls.
A trail leads 4800 feet up the butte from car parking space and the trip to the top is not an arduous one, it is reported. The view from the top is well worth the climb, according to members of the park service and the boys who helped build the structure." (The Klamath News)
June 19, 1941: "Roger Reid, graduate of the Tulelake high school and a student at the University of California will spend the remainder of the summer on top of Schonchin Butte in the Lava Beds as a fire lookout. The new guard went up to his station, more than 5000 feet above the floor of the valley, on June 11.
Reid succeeds Stanley Glick of Henley, who spent the first 10 days of June at the post. Glick will be employed during the rest of the summer as temporary ranger." (The Evening Herald)
September 23, 1942: "Mrs. Clara Gilloon's 78 years were no deterent when it came to negotiating the steep and winding trail up Schonchin butte in the Lava Beds National monument to visit with her grand-daughter, Lillian Redkey, stationed there as fire lookout.
In company with her daughter, Mrs. S. R. Redkey of Conger avenue, her grandchildren, Margaret and Clara Redkey, and Mrs. William Beck, she made the trip a week ago Sunday. From all accounts, there were no complaints of 'wait for grandma,' and she was said to have suffered no ill effects afterward.
Lillian Redkey has been fire lookout at Schonchin butte since August 23, when she replaced Mrs. Anna Todd who left at that time to resume teaching duties at Chiloquin. This is said to be the only lookout in this area manned solely by women this summer. Don Fisher, Lava Beds ranger, said their work had been exceptional, receiving praise from high forestry officials.
Miss Redkey is expected to return to her home this week and will leave again soon to take up studies at OSC." (Herald and News)
July 11, 1947: "The lookout on Schonchin Butte in the Lava Beds national monument is a girl...She is Vivian Tozler, an ex-Wave, a music graduate of the University of California, who is now taking art at U.C. ...She's terrifically enthusiastic about her summer job..." (Herald and News)
June 2, 1950: "The Schonchin Butte lookout will have electric lights installed in the near future and when this has been finished the lookout will be the best equipped in Northern California or Southern California. Last year a flamo refrigerator was taken up the hill and installed. The cooking is done by flamo." (Herald and News)
June 30, 1950: "On June 25th a fire was started by lightning near the Northwest entrance, but due to the prompt action of the lookout and the suppression crew the area burned was only two acres." (Superintendent's Monthly Report)
August 1, 1950: "Five hundred gallons of water were pumped up to Schonchin Butte reservoir. This will eliminate the costly bi-weekly waterpacking trips by the suppression crew." (Superintendent's Monthly Report)
July 4, 1954: "The Schonchin Butte lookout is manned by a young couple this year, the wife serving as relief on the lookout's lieu day. This has eliminated the need for reducing the regular crew for lookout relief duty, as well as provide an additional fire control aide on going fires when the wife can assume the lookout's duties." (Superintendent's Monthly Report)
July 12, 1956: "The telephone line to Schonchin Butte Fire Lookout was found to be inoperative. We replaced broken insulators, reset poles, tightened sagging wires and repaired breaks in the line, thus restoring service to the lookout station." (Superintendent's Monthly Report)
June 4, 1957: "The Schonchin Butte Lookout received extensive repairs, and was entirely repainted inside. Old sealed louvers were placed in operating condition, the outside walk braced, and the old Flamo gas installation changed." (Superintendent's Monthly Report)
July 30, 1957: "Snakes, nor wind, lightning nor thunder frighten the lady fire lookout atop Schonchin Butte in the Lava Beds National Monument.
Frances Drewery, tiny, honeyhaired mother of three and wife of Garland Drewery, inspector at the quarantine station on the Alturas Highway, is spending the summer atop the red cinder butte. Her glass-enclosed tower, guyed to the butte's peak, has a wide view across the black lava where the Modocs held their own against the white man during the last Indian War fought in this valley." (Herald and News)
June 12, 1958: "Vandals broke into the Lookout building on the weekend of May 24, but since it was not stocvked for the summer, nothing of value was taken." (Superintendent's Monthly Report)
1960: "New telephone poles were set, to the lookout, using a Hiller 12-V helicopter. Poles were delivered to the lookout parking area and from there lifted and set into holes with the aid of the helicopter." (Superintendent's Monthly Report)
June 25, 1962: "The Ranger Office and Schonchin Butte Lookout was connected by a remote control cable. 2 new remote control FM radio units were installed in the Headquarters area and one intercom was installed at Schonchin Butte Lookout.
Eleven feet was removed from the top of the power pole on Schonchin Butte so as to leave it concealed in the trees." (Superintendent's Monthly Report)
June 9, 1964: "The trail to Schonchin Butte Lookout was widened to accommodate the new trail buggy. The shutters were removed from the lookout and it was prepared for operation." (Superintendent's Monthly Report)
August 8, 1966: "A new Osborne Fire Finder was installed at Schonchin Butte Lookout on July 13." (Superintendent's Monthly Report)
September 6, 1966: "The 'Merry' Trail Packer which was purchased for Lava Beds was received on the 22nd and proved to be a pleasant surprise. It works very well and will negotiate the trail to Schonchin Butte Lookout with a load of supplies without digging itself into the soft trail surface." (Superintendent's Monthly Report)
