OKEMO MOUNTAIN
Vermont - Rutland County - Okemo State Forest
April 7, 1922: "More than $600 has been pledged to the Okemo Mountain Club of Ludlow for its project of the erection of a lookout tower on the summit of Mt. Okemo, it was announced in the first annual meeting of the organization Tuesday evening. It is expected that this tower will be raised during the coming summer.
The offer of the state forester, W.G. Hastings, in which he pledged the state to the maintenance of the tower if the club would deed it over to the forestry department, has since been recalled and the request made that the club defer action until Mr. Hastings can come to Ludlow to confer about it." (The Vermont Tribune)
The offer of the state forester, W.G. Hastings, in which he pledged the state to the maintenance of the tower if the club would deed it over to the forestry department, has since been recalled and the request made that the club defer action until Mr. Hastings can come to Ludlow to confer about it." (The Vermont Tribune)
October 18, 1922: "A fire lookout tower is being erected on Ludlow Mountain by Messrs. Delevan, Teachout and Chamberlain of the State forestry department. The structure will be of wood construction and will be the 15th in the State. In State Forester W.G. Hastings' opinion, 15 or 20 more are necessary to give the State blanket protection in the way of forest fire detection. Secondary assistance would also be needed in times of especial fire danger." (The Burlington Free Press)
August 9, 1928: "The Vermont Forestry department is improving the conditions on the trail from Ludlow to the top of the mountain. Men are blazing out the trail which has practically grown up and they are fixing up the cabin and tower on the top of the mountain. A new telephone line is also being installed. A few years ago the forestry department, with financial aid from Ludlow citizens erected a cabin and fire tower on top of Okemo. For some reason a man has never been hired to attend this, which is one of the lookouts of the department. W. R. Snyder of Townsend, who is connected with the forestry department has been in town the past week. He hired William H. Ball to work on the trail and fix up the cabin and tower. Young Ball has commenced operations and in a few weeks the trail will be completed and the property on the top of the mountain put in good shape. It is expected that a watchman will then be installed on the mountain and make this a regular fire lookout station of the department." (The Landmark)
August 10, 1928: "W. R. Snyder of Townshend was in town recently and made arrangements to have the trail leading to the top of Okemo mountain made more passable. He engaged William Ball to help blaze a better trail and repair the fire tower and cabin on the mountain summit. It is possible that a watchman may be stationed on the mountain making it a regular lookout station. Mr. Snyder is connected with the Vermont forestry department which attends to such matters." (The Vermont Tribune)
May 21, 1934: "Lindsey S. Hall has been appointed a fire warden for the town and is located at the fire tower on Okemo mountain until November 1." (Rutland Daily Herald)
June 16, 1934: "The tower on Okemo mountain overlooks an extensive section of forested lands considerably removed from the view of other fire lookouts. The present tower is a wooden structure without the usual inclosed cab on top, which makes it difficult for the watchman to keep a constant lookout for fires. This tower is an old one and has started to decay so that a new tower and camp have been planned for construction on the site. Lindsey Hall, the watchman, is clearing ground, repairing the telephone line and laying out a new a new trail to the lookout from Buttermilk Falls on the highway in Mount Holly. This type of work is carried on by the watchman during days of low fire hazard, due to previous rains." (Rutland Daily Herald)
October 19, 1934: "Although the title Civilian Conservation Corps is generally associated with a definite line of work a group of this company will be called upon shortly to make a 'site camp' on Okemo Mountain. There to erect a fire lookout tower of steel construction. Here they will be required to sleep as well as eat at this location while the work of construction is in progress. In respect there is scheduled several projects which will call for a 'camp site' location." (Springfield Register)
September 16, 1937: "On Okemo's summit stands a new 60-foot steel fire tower replacing a wooden tower of half that height. At the foot of the tower is a three-room cabin built for the fire warden." (Rutland Daily Herald)
1936-38: "Installed telephone in tower." (Fire Control Work, During period July 1, 1936, to June 30, 1938, "Report of the Department of Conservation and Development" State of Vermont)
1943: "During the fiscal year 1943 new standard cabin for the lookout watchman was constructed at Okemo Mountain." (Report, Department of Conservation and Development, term ending June 30, 1944)
1947-48: "Two and one-half miles of new wire strung to complete metallic circuit. Cabin floors varnished. Tower ground installed. New ground wire installed for telephone installed in tower. Tower stairs painted. Old cabin ruins completely removed." (Biennial Report of the Vermont Forest Service)
1949-50: "Tower stair treads painted. Picnic tables painted. Tower bolts tightened. Installed tower lightning ground wires and new ground wire for telephone. New heating stove installed." (Biennial Report of the Vermont Forest Service)
1951-52: "Stone chimney built for lookout cabin. Woodshed enlarged to provide workshop and additional storage space. C.C.C. building at the foot of mountain reroofed, sills repaired and inside painted." (Biennial Report of the Vermont Forest Service)
1953-54: "Telephone right-of-way has been sprayed with brush killer." (Biennial Report of the Vermont Forest Service)
1955-56: "The telephone system was rebuilt and converted to dial. The telephone company extended their line to the base of the new ski area, permitting discontinuance of a mile of Forest Service line. Considerable relocation of telephone lines had to be done because of the ski development." (Biennial Report of the Vermont Forest Service)
1957-58: "Fifteen hundred feet of telephone line was placed on utility poles across the newly developed ski area open slope. The mountain-top spring was boxed in." (Biennial Report of the Vermont Forest Service)
October 10, 1963: "Francis O'Malley of the Okemo Fire Tower plans to stay at the tower until the first week of November. He will then join the staff of the Okemo Mt. Ski School for the winter and return to the warden's cabin for the 1964 season." (Rutland Daily Herald)
2010: A stairway upgrade was completed. New stair treads and chainlink safety fencing on the stairs installed.