Bear Mountain Lookout
Description
The historic Bear Mountain fire lookout tower was [most likely] built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).
NRHP nomination form: “This Aermotor MC-E4 steel tower, located off the Alpine Ranger District, was constructed in 1933, probably by the CCC. It is 45 ft 9 in high and has a 7 ft by 7 ft steel cab. The storage shed (an old cabin) was built in 1928. The present cabin and privy were built in 1940. There was a wooden platform tower at this location in the early 1920s. The lookout complex is situated within a primitive area and is also the location of a prehistoric shrine site. The setting is evocative of the “early days” of the Forest Service according to the site recorder. Comparison with historic photographs from the late 1930s indicates that lookout and outbuilding have not undergone any significant structural change. The entire complex retains its original integrity of design, construction, workmanship, materials, setting, location and association and is recommended For National Register eligibility. The boundary of the Bear Mountain complex is a rectangle which measures 300 ft N-S by 200 ft E-W with the tower located immediately north of the halfway point on the south boundary. The area surrounding the complex within the boundary is not considered a “buffer area,” but is integral to the setting of the property.”
Source notes
National Register of Historic Places nomination form:
"National Forest Fire Lookouts in the Southwestern Region. USDA Forest Service"
https://npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/64000046.pdf
(.pdf page 32 of 115; accessed Mar. 2018)National Historic Lookout Register:
https://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/az/bear-mountain-lookout/
Project originally submitted by Evan Kalish on March 1, 2018.
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