MODOC COUNTY
SUGAR HILL
Modoc National Forest
46N-14E-26
46N-14E-26
July 24, 1929: "The Sugar hill fire, fought by 300 men, was reported under control today, although high winds made the task hazardous. The fire, which swept over 8000 acres of timber yesterday, was said to be the worst in the history of Modoc county. Loss was estimated at a quarter of a million dollars.
Although the Crane Creek lumber mill was saved, houses, buildings, automobiles and household goods belonging to the workers were burned, while women and children were rushed to safety as the flames surrounded the densely wooded area around the mill.
It was stated the fire was the worst in the history of Modoc county, and the loss to date is estimated at $250,000 in standing timber.
D.M. Miller, forest lookout, was dazed by the heavy smoke and wandered several hours before falling in with a fire fighting crew. Crews and equipment were being rushed to the scene from Alturas." (Oakland Tribune)
Although the Crane Creek lumber mill was saved, houses, buildings, automobiles and household goods belonging to the workers were burned, while women and children were rushed to safety as the flames surrounded the densely wooded area around the mill.
It was stated the fire was the worst in the history of Modoc county, and the loss to date is estimated at $250,000 in standing timber.
D.M. Miller, forest lookout, was dazed by the heavy smoke and wandered several hours before falling in with a fire fighting crew. Crews and equipment were being rushed to the scene from Alturas." (Oakland Tribune)
May 2, 1930: "A new road will be constructed by the United States forest service to the top of Sugar hill during the present summer where a lookout tower is occupied permanently during the fire season. The mountain commands a view of the belt of timber in the Fandango unit east of Goose lake and also covers a large territory lying to the wast.
The present project will be about three miles in length from the nearest existing road and construction work will be fairly easy, the route passing through timber country and good soil all the way. The top of the mountain is a scant three and one-half miles from the main Lakeview-Alturas highway which passes over the lower shoulder of Sugar hill.
The lookout tower in use at the present time is a platform built in the upper portion of a large pine tree, access to the tower being by means of a ladder formed by falling a smaller tree and lodging it in the larger one in which the platform is built. Forest service officials expect to replace this wooden tower by a more modern one of steel construction such as is being adopted by the forest service throughout the state.
With the construction of the Sugar hill road, every main lookout point on the Modoc national forest will be accessible by auto road, all of which have been constructed during the past five years. Blue Mountain, Round Mountain, Happy Camp mountain lookout and Hayden hill lookout, all points towering above the surrounding country, can be reached by auto on easy grades. The road to the summit of Round mountain which serves as a lookout point for both the Shasta and Modoc national forests, spirals around the side of the mountain in typical corkscrew style." (The Klamath News)
May 22, 1930: "The Forest Service expects to have the road completed to the summit of Sugar hill by July 1, after which a standard steel lookout tower will be constructed there. The present tower consists merely of a platform built in a tree and this has done duty for many years. This home made tower was built almost a decade ago by Forest Ranger Laurence L. Smith, and Perry and Luther Clark, all expert woodsmen who carefully cut one tree partially through and allowed it to fall into another upright tree in which a platform was built, the leaning tree being used as a ladder or stairway to reach the observation platform, which is a little over 60 feet high.
Sugar hill was so named because during the late '60s a wagonload of sugar en route from Yreka to Ft. Bidwell for the soldiers there, broke down in negotiating a shoulder of the mountain and the garrison went sugarless for several weeks." (The Klamath News)
July 6, 1930: "The Forest Service road crew, under the supervision of road foreman Dan A. Davis are engaged in road construction work this season on the North Warners district of the Modoc National Forest.
Work has just been completed by the crew on the Sugar Hill Road which provides access by auto from the main highway in Goose Lake valley to the top of Sugar Hill, one of the prominent peaks in the North Warners.
Although it has been used as a primary lookout point by the Forest Service for many years, it has hitherto been accessible only by a steep pack trail. One can now drive to the summit by auto on an 11 per cent maximum grade, the road going in from the Crom sawmill by Cold Spring. The project runs through heavy western yellow pine and white fir timber and is unusually scenic. A splendid panoramic view of Goose Lake Valley, western Modoc county and southern Oregon is afforded from the summit.
Construction work on a steel lookout tower and standard building will be commenced within the near future and the new lookout will replace lookout maintained in a large pine tree which has functioned for the past 11 years.
Besides riding or patrol lookouts, the Forest Service maintains six primary lookouts in the Modoc Forest, Haydenhill, Happy Camp Mt., Round Mt., Lone Pine, Sugar Hill and Blue Mt.," (The Klamath News)
September 25, 1930: "Under the supervision of District Ranger Laurence U, Smith, active work was started this week on the Sugar Hill lookout tower, located just east of Goose lake on the north Warner district of the Modoc National Forest.
The tower, which will be 30 feet high, will be constructed of heavy galvanized steel, much heavier than has hitherto been used by the forest service in such structures. The steel tower will be capped by a lookout house 14 feet square with a three-foot porch on all sides. Windows and doors will be of plate glass of high visibility." (The Klamath News)
January 7, 1932: "Keith Wells has arrived here (Corvallis) from Illinois Valley, southern Oregon, to resume his studies in the school of forestry at Oregon State college. Mr. Wells has but recently returned to Oregon from Alturas, Cal., where he had been stationed on the Sugar Hill lookout since last June. This lookout is one of the recent design constructed by the forest service and includes an all-glass room and steel tower." (Corvallis Gazette-Times)
June 26, 1933: "At the Crane creek camp the construction of a forest service telephone line from that place to the Sugar Hill lookout point and on to to the town of Davis Creek, is under way. The same camp is engaged in the construction of a road up Lassen creek and a wide fire line to protect the green timber and young pine plantations in the Sugar Hill area." (The Evening Herald)
October 4, 1934: "Thomas Painter came down from Sugar Loaf lookout and spent a few days with his family here. He returned Sunday evening." (Modoc County Times)
July 18, 1940: "Shortly after one o'clock on Saturday, July 6, fire starts at the Hess Ranch on Sugar Hill. During the night Mr. Hess had been burning around his residence for fire protection purposes. Due to failure to completely extinguish fire before the heat of the next day gusty winds whipped the embers into flame and carried them across the protective fire line.
The fire races up the southwest slope of Sugar Hill and over into the old 1929 burn. The fire was so hot that it was necessary to remove the lookout from the Sugar Hill tower. After the fire had cooled off and the lookout went back to his station he found that his bed had caught fire but in some miraculous manner it went out without doing much damage to it. The high winds of Saturday night, coupled with the enormous number of snags in the 1929 burn hampered control of this fire and full control was not reached until early Monday morning." (Weekly Adin Argus)
November 3, 1944: "O-Plans-Master-Project Work Budget
Name of Station - Sugar Hill Lookout (Primary)
Type of building - Standard lookout on tower.
Other buildings, utilities, etc. - 1. Garage and woodshed.
2. Water storage.
3. Latrine.
Remarks - None." (From Acting Forest Supervisor, Modoc to Regional Forester)
June 14, 1945: "Sugar Hill LO - Morris will be starting his third season in the same position in the same location." (Plans - Warner Mountain District - 1945)
1946: During the period from 1942 through 1946 this lookout made 16 first discoveries.
March 1, 1953: "Our anemometer is still at Sugar Hill Lookout. A brief explanation: as per request from your office we did intend to bring the anemometer down, but because the Lookout was held open and caught in the snow storm of November 13, we overlooked it. Messers. McCulley and Brister packed the radio and batteries out on their backs. The lookout shutters were closed as best as they could be by chipping ice from around the windows. We have not been able to go back since that trip.
The anemometer was a new one and installed last year in the middle of fire season. If you still want the anemometer returned, we can bring it in sometime during the end of May." (Memo to the Forest Supervisor from The Goose Lake District Ranger)
1953: "Sugar Hill lookout, Mrs. Secrest doing an excellent job; knows the country and does a fine job of relaying radio messages.
From a safety standpoint, shutters and catwalk should be replaced on the lookout house because of dry rot." (Report of General Inspection - Goose Lake District - 1953)
June 23, 1955: "Should be 2" of litter under fuel moisture sticks (was about 1/2"); Need bottle with stopper to hold water for psychrometer instead of tin can now used. Anemometer not yet installed." (Report - Weather Bureau Inspection)
July 22, 1957: "Reviewed weather observations and techniques with your new lookout. Hugh is planning to revamp the fuel moisture bed in closer accordance with specifications." (Report - Weather Bureau Inspection)
August 27, 1961: "Quiet nocturnal life of the Modoc Forest is due for a change.. Bruce Armstrong, a major in music from Pacific University, is currently an attendant at the 7,313 foot high Sugar Hill Lookout station. Last week he and two helpers took a piano atop Sugar Hill to the lookout in a pickup." (Herald and News)
June 27, 2001: "Vandals pulled wooden shutters away from the frame of the building, broke all the windows, and destroyed the furniture and most of the interior paneling. After wreaking such havoc, they then threw all the furniture, appliances and fire detection equipment onto the ground and rock piles below the lookout." (Westwood Pine Press)
April 3, 2002: "Projects presented to the Modoc County Resource Advisory Committee included a request to enhance the Sugar Hill Lookout road and create a restroom and new launching site for hang gliders." (Westwood Pine Press)
