SMITH MOUNTAIN
Monterey County - California Department of Forestry
May 23, 1920: "Smith mountain, north of the Stone Canyon coal mine, in the range between the Salinas and San Joaquin watersheds, was selected as a lookout station to be established by the state for fire protection purposes. A lookout will be stationed there and will be able to keep watch over large areas in Monterey, San Benito and Fresno counties. On the Monterey side it will cover the country as far north as Soledad." (Salinas Morning Post)
July 4, 1930: "telephone connection for the new state lookout station at Smith mountain is being established by the construction of a line to the Wayland ranch, near Stone canyon. The unit will be completed from the lookout station and a junction made with the established line to the Wayland ranch by July 1, in time to be of use during the period of summer fire hazard.
Smith mountain, on the border between Monterey and Fresno counties, and about east of San Ardo, was selected recently by state officials as a site for a lookout station for reporting fires. A large area of country in Monterey, Fresno and San Benito counties is under observation from that point and any fire starting will be reported to King City where the county fire protective service centers under the direction of State Ranger Herbert Phelps." (Salinas Morning Post)
February 10, 1931: "A 60-foot lookout tower is to be constructed on Smith's Mountain, 16 miles south of Coalinga, as a lookout point for fires, according to an announcement made yesterday by E.A. Joy, chief fire ranger of Fresno county.
The tower is being established with the cooperation of fire rangers of the counties of Fresno, Kern, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo, 12 in all, and a telephone line is to be constructed from the tower site to Coalinga.
Smith's Mountain is one of the high peaks of that portion of the Coast Range, and the watchman will have a clear view for more than 50 miles, covering the territory in Fresno, Kern, San Benito, Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties.
Speaking of the construction today, J.C. Griswold, Kings county has no part in the construction of the lookout station, it has a very complete fire fighting apparatus established at Avenal, which can be manned for action on short notice. This, he says, will be used in that vicinity, and especially those that may be discovered from the new lookout." (The Hanford Sentinel)
April 6, 1931: "Work will shortly be started on a lookout house on Smith Mountain which commands a view of large areas in Fresno and Monterey counties." (Reno Evening Gazette)
April 6, 1931: "Work will shortly be started on a lookout house on Smith Mountain which commands a view of large areas in Fresno and Monterey counties." (Reno Evening Gazette)
June 6, 1945: "A Japanese suicide balloon' reported from San Joaquin Valley points today turned out to be nothing more than the planet Venus.
The Western Defense Command, in San Francisco, discredited the reports with the announcement the conjectured balloon was the planet Venus---symbol of peace and love.
In Coalinga, a tiny, shining circle was seen in the sky to the northwest. Residents of Modesto saw a similar object in the sky near the moon's normal location.
First sighted from the Smith Mountain fire lookout station 20 miles west of Coalinga, the balloon was described as between the size of a 5 cent piece and a 25 cent piece." (The Fresno Bee The Republican)
DESIGNATION - SMITH MOUNTAIN LOOKOUT HOUSE
PID - GU3503
STATE/COUNTY- CA/MONTEREY
COUNTRY - US
USGS QUAD - SMITH MOUNTAIN (1981)
STATION DESCRIPTION
DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1944 (JCS)
STATION IS ABOUT 9 MILES SSE OF PRIEST VALLEY, ON A HIGH ROCKY
PEAK WHICH IS KNOWN AS SMITH MOUNTAIN AND IS THE HIGHEST POINT
IN THIS VICINITY
IT IS A SQUARE FRAME LOOKOUT HOUSE OF THE CALIFORNIA DIVISION
'OF FORESTRY. IT IS PAINTED WHITE AND HAS A PYRAMIDAL-SHAPED
ROOF. IT IS ABOUT 11 BY 11 FEET ON ITS EXTERIOR. IT WAS
LOCATED BY TRAVERSE FROM STATION MITH AND IS 12.808 METERS E
OF MITH.
THE POINT LOCATED WAS THE CENTER OF THE LOOKOUT HOUSE.