Balsam Lake Mountain Fire Observation Station
Encyclopedia
The Balsam Lake Mountain Fire Observation Station is located at the summit
of the mountain of that name in the Town of Hardenburgh
, New York, United States. It comprises a steel frame fire lookout tower
, the observer's cabin and privy
and the jeep road to the complex.
Balsam Lake Mountain
, the westernmost of the Catskill High Peaks
, was the site of the first fire lookout tower
in New York in 1887, when a nearby sportsmen's club built it to protect their lands below the mountain. It was later taken over by the state, which built several towers culminating in the current one. The tower was manned until 1988.
After being closed for much of the 1990s, the tower was proposed for demolition as one of five remaining on state-owned Forest Preserve
land in the Catskill Park. Hikers and local residents rallied to save it, and after the state's Department of Environmental Conservation
changed its mind, it was restored
and reopened. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 2001, the highest-elevation property in Ulster County
to be listed.The next two highest are the Red Hill
and Mount Tremper
fire towers, at 2990 feet (911.4 m) and 2740 feet (835.2 m) respectively.
as a hiking trail. This gives it a total of 10.9 acres (4.4 ha) of land, most of it owned by the state but some of it property of the descendants of Jay Gould
, whose Furlow Lodge estate is in the area. The tower and road are considered contributing resources; three other buildings near the tower are related to it in function but are non-contributing.
The tower and other buildings are around a small clearing at the mountain's 3723 feet (1,134.8 m) summit. On all sides are boreal forest consisting of thick balsam fir
and red spruce
. This is the westernmost large stand of this kind of forest in the Catskills
as no peaks west of Balsam Lake rise above 3500 feet (1,066.8 m), the elevations where it is most commonly found.
The old road arrives from the east; a foot trail leaves the clearing to the south. Along much of its length the road is accompanied by old telephone poles and downed wire from the communication system that once served the tower. It follows red plastic markers
down a winding course past a metal DEC gate at the boundary between public and private land to the northeast shoulder of the mountain at 3300 feet (1,005.8 m). There it joins and follows another old road, now with the blue markers of the Dry Brook Ridge Trail, down to where it crosses paved Mill Brook Road.
The tower itself is 47½ feet (14.5 m) tall. It is a steel frame
structure, anchored by bolts on surface plates into the exposed sedimentary bedrock
at the summit, gradually sloping up to the enclosed cab at the top. Seven flights of steel stairs provide access from the ground.
Next to the tower, at the corner of the road and the summit clearing east of it, is the observer's cabin. It is a one-story batten
-sided gable
-roofed hut on a concrete foundation
with a metal roof. Just inside the woods to the north is the wooden privy
. In the summit clearing there is also a more contemporary wooden picnic table
and, at the south end, the remains of an older foundation.
, which depended on the bark of the Eastern Hemlock
for tannin
, and left many stands of peeled first-growth trees to rot and die when they had taken all the usable bark. Loggers
harvested commercial-grade timber for furniture and made charcoal
in open pits in the woods.
Many simply abandoned the lands they owned after they had made their money, leaving them to default
to the counties in question, which then owed the unpaid property tax
es to the state. The distressed forests also heightened the risk of forest fires and their attendant damage to local communities. In 1885 the Ulster County delegation to the state Assembly
resolved both issues by getting the Catskills included with the Adirondacks
in the new Forest Preserve
. The county's forest lands were transferred to the state to be kept forever wild, and with state ownership came state supervision of fire protection efforts. Nine years later, that legislation would be incorporated into a new version of the state constitution as Article 14, with language closing all the loophole
s business-friendly state regulators at the Forest Commission had been trying to use in the meantime.
In 1887, two years after the Forest Preserve was created, members of the Balsam Lake club who hunted and fished
on its lands near the headwaters of the Beaver Kill south of the mountain, decided to build a tower on the summit to detect fires early. A crew of workmen supervised by the club's warden built a small tower from trees cut near the summit.
That tower stood until 1901, when members of the club went to the summit and found it destroyed by a fire, the probable result of a lightning strike
. A new tower, 35 feet (10.7 m) in height, was built to replace it in 1905. The members of the Balsam Lake club continued to maintain and staff it until 1909, when the state's Forest, Fish and Game Commission (FFGC), a predecessor agency to today's Department of Environmental Conservation
(DEC), took over the tower.
The Balsam Lake tower joined those already operated by the state in the Catskills on Belleayre
and Hunter
mountains. Because of its height compared to the peaks to its west in Delaware County
, it offered an excellent vantage point from which to spot fires in that area as well as its immediate surroundings in Ulster County. Views were unobstructed for 12–18 mi (19.3–29 km) in all directions.
After taking over, the FFGC spent $38 ($ in contemporary dollars) repairing the tower. The state also added a dedicated telephone line
along a truck road it built connecting to Mill Brook Road at the north so the observers stationed at the tower would not have to hike to the tower from the club's very remote location at the end of a long road up an isolated river valley. In its first year, according to the commission's annual report
, observers spotted fires as far away as Fallsburg
and Liberty
in Sullivan County
and in the Shawangunks
, far to the south and southeast.
In 1918, the state replaced the crude shelter for observers, described by one as a "shanty", with a more permanent cabin
. The next year the open wooden tower the club had built was replaced with a 47½-foot (14.5 m) Aermotor steel tower. Whether this is the current tower is not clear. The Historic Lookout Register says it was in turn replaced with the current tower in 1930, but records from the Conservation Commission, which the FFGC had become by then, show no expenditure for a new tower. DEC's webpage for the Wild Forest, however, gives 1930 as the construction date for the current tower.
Mike Todd, the observer from the time the cabin was constructed until 1947, was sometimes able to spot fires as far away as Northeastern Pennsylvania
, many miles to the southwest. During his tenure he claimed to have shot over 900 porcupine
s chewing on the cabin to prevent damage. He also took black bear
s around the tower and on his drive up.
In the early 1960s the state replaced the 1918 cabin with the current one. Unlike older observer's cabins in the Forest Preserve, the one on Balsam Lake lacks a porch. This was the most significant change to any aspect of the fire tower complex after the construction of the current tower. During that time the observers were busy. A drought in 1962 led to many fires, and similar conditions the following year resulted in Governor Nelson Rockefeller
ordering the closing of the Forest Preserve in 1963 and again for short periods the following year.
Another observer, Larry Baker, ended a search and rescue
operation in 1968. He found some missing Boy Scout
s from Long Island
who had gotten separated from their group, a short distance from the tower at the lean-to near the south end of the summit. That coincided with the beginning of the end of the era in which the fire towers were an essential component of the region's fire control system. Since the 1950s, better public education about the causes of forest fires, along with improved local fire departments, had led to a decline in fires. Aerial observers, who could cover the whole region several times a day, were becoming a more cost-effective way to detect fires, and the state slowly began closing the towers down and dismantling them.
describes the Balsam Lake tower as being manned "primarily for the entertainment of hikers". One of those was CBS News anchorman Dan Rather
, who owns property in Hardenburgh and, observer Tim Hinkley recalls, came up with his daughter one day in 1988. Later that year Hinkley became the Balsam Lake Mountain fire tower's last observer as it was closed. Three years later, with the closure of the Red Hill fire tower
in the southern Catskills after a brief reopening due to severe drought, the fire tower era ended.
The tower remained, its lower flight removed in 1993 to prevent public access. Hikers continued to climb it for the views from the steps, but it was no longer maintained and subject to deterioration. In 1990 George Profous, a DEC forester, wrote in a draft planning document that the Red Hill tower, one of the five left in the Catskill Park along with Balsam Lake, should be dismantled as no longer in conformance with state management guidelines for Forest Preserve lands. He hoped that public opposition would emerge and save the remaining towers, which it did.
The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development
and DEC helped the communities near the fire towers form the Catskill Fire Tower Restoration Project. Volunteers in the area raised $16,000 through benefit concert
s and art exhibits. DEC employees and AmeriCorps
volunteers began restoring the tower in 1999, putting in new stairs and a new roof and windows for the cab. After new ironwork was installed, the tower reopened in 2000.
come because the peak is required for membership, other hikers come to complete the Adirondack/Catskill Fire Tower Challenge, and some come just for the view from the tower itself.
It can be approached from three directions. The two most common use the Dry Brook Ridge Trail, blazed
with blue plastic markers, to connect to the red-blazed Balsam Lake Mountain Trail, which makes a short loop across the summit. South of the fire tower it connects to the yellow-blazed Mill Brook Ridge Trail, which offers a longer approach from the west over that mountain.
The northern approach, the most popular, follows the old jeep road in its entirety from Mill Brook Road, the highest trailhead
in the Catskills at 2580 feet (786.4 m).The Quaker Clearing trailhead where the south approach begins is the next highest, at 2500 feet (762 m), with the Slide Mountain trailhead on Ulster County Route 47 third at 2400 feet (731.5 m). It is longer but less of a climb than the southern approach from the slightly lower trailhead at the end of Beaverkill Road. In 1998 the Mill Brook Ridge Trail was built. It starts from the west end of Alder Lake near Turnwood and runs 6.7 miles (10.8 km) to a junction with the Balsam Lake Mountain Trail 0.1 mile (150 m) south of the fire tower. It is considered the most ambitious route but is the least used.
Graham
and Doubletop
mountains, Balsam Lake's higher neighbors to the east, dominate the view from the fire tower, with Slide, the highest Catskill peak, between them in clear weather. In the best of conditions the Blackhead Range
at the northeast corner of the Catskills is visible as well. To the north Dry Brook Ridge appears as a single peak rather than a long ridge, with Bearpen, highest peak in New York outside the Forest Preserve, visible in clear weather. Westward Woodpecker Ridge and the eastern summit of Mill Brook Ridge are closest, and in the distance the view looks down on the lower peaks in eastern Delaware County
, with Mount Pisgah, home to Ski Bobcat, standing out above most of them. South the view takes in the Beaver Kill Range, with Peekamoose
, Table
and Red Hill and its fire tower also visible. In clear weather the Shawangunk Ridge
is also visible to the southeast, and Elk Mountain
, highest peak in Northeastern Pennsylvania
, is on the southwest horizon.
As part of the restoration project, interpretive guides man the tower on weekends during the warmer months. Camping is forbidden on the summit except in winter. Those who wish to stay the night on the mountain can camp in a lean-to
on the south slope below the spring at about 3300 feet (1,005.8 m).
Summit (topography)
In topography, a summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. Mathematically, a summit is a local maximum in elevation...
of the mountain of that name in the Town of Hardenburgh
Hardenburgh, New York
Hardenburgh is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 208 at the 2000 census.The Town of Hardenburgh is located in the western part of Ulster County. The town is inside the Catskill Park.- History :...
, New York, United States. It comprises a steel frame fire lookout tower
Fire lookout tower
A fire lookout tower, fire tower or lookout tower, provides housing and protection for a person known as a "fire lookout" whose duty it is to search for wildfires in the wilderness...
, the observer's cabin and privy
Outhouse
An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
and the jeep road to the complex.
Balsam Lake Mountain
Balsam Lake Mountain
Balsam Lake Mountain is one of the Catskill Mountains, located in the Town of Hardenburgh, New York, United States. It is the westernmost of the range's 35 High Peaks...
, the westernmost of the Catskill High Peaks
Catskill High Peaks
The Catskill High Peaks are all of the mountains in New York's Catskill Mountains above 3,500 ft in elevation whose summits are separated either by one-half mile or a vertical drop of at least 250 ft between it and the next nearest separate summit...
, was the site of the first fire lookout tower
Fire lookout tower
A fire lookout tower, fire tower or lookout tower, provides housing and protection for a person known as a "fire lookout" whose duty it is to search for wildfires in the wilderness...
in New York in 1887, when a nearby sportsmen's club built it to protect their lands below the mountain. It was later taken over by the state, which built several towers culminating in the current one. The tower was manned until 1988.
After being closed for much of the 1990s, the tower was proposed for demolition as one of five remaining on state-owned Forest Preserve
Forest Preserve (New York)
New York's Forest Preserve is all the land owned by the state within the Adirondack and Catskill parks, managed by its Department of Environmental Conservation. These properties are required to be kept "forever wild" by Article 14 of the state constitution, and thus enjoy the highest degree of...
land in the Catskill Park. Hikers and local residents rallied to save it, and after the state's Department of Environmental Conservation
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for the conservation, improvement, and protection of natural resources within the U.S. state of New York. It was founded in 1970, replacing the previous Conservation Department...
changed its mind, it was restored
Building restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
and reopened. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2001, the highest-elevation property in Ulster County
Ulster County, New York
Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...
to be listed.The next two highest are the Red Hill
Red Hill Fire Observation Station
The Red Hill Fire Observation Station consists of a fire lookout tower, cabin and pit privy located on the summit of Red Hill, a Catskill Mountain peak in Denning, New York, United States. It is the southernmost fire tower in the Catskill Park....
and Mount Tremper
Mount Tremper Fire Observation Station
Mount Tremper Fire Observation Station is a historic fire observation station located on Mount Tremper at Shandaken in Ulster County, New York. The station and contributing resources include a , steel frame lookout tower erected in 1917 and a jeep trail that extends from the base of the mountain...
fire towers, at 2990 feet (911.4 m) and 2740 feet (835.2 m) respectively.
Property
The nominated property includes a 500 feet (152.4 m) square area around the tower and the entire 3-mile (5 km) jeep road to the summit from Mill Brook Road between Balsam Lake Mountain and Dry Brook Ridge, now markedTrail blazing
Trail blazing, or trailblazing, is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with blazes, markings that follow each other at certain — though not necessarily exactly defined — distances and mark the direction of the trail...
as a hiking trail. This gives it a total of 10.9 acres (4.4 ha) of land, most of it owned by the state but some of it property of the descendants of Jay Gould
Jay Gould
Jason "Jay" Gould was a leading American railroad developer and speculator. He has long been vilified as an archetypal robber baron, whose successes made him the ninth richest American in history. Condé Nast Portfolio ranked Gould as the 8th worst American CEO of all time...
, whose Furlow Lodge estate is in the area. The tower and road are considered contributing resources; three other buildings near the tower are related to it in function but are non-contributing.
The tower and other buildings are around a small clearing at the mountain's 3723 feet (1,134.8 m) summit. On all sides are boreal forest consisting of thick balsam fir
Balsam Fir
The balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada and the northeastern United States .-Growth:It is a small to medium-size evergreen tree typically tall, rarely to tall, with a narrow conic crown...
and red spruce
Red Spruce
Picea rubens is a species of spruce native to eastern North America, ranging from eastern Quebec to Nova Scotia, and from New England south in the Adirondack Mountains and Appalachians to western North Carolina.-Physical description:...
. This is the westernmost large stand of this kind of forest in the Catskills
Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
as no peaks west of Balsam Lake rise above 3500 feet (1,066.8 m), the elevations where it is most commonly found.
The old road arrives from the east; a foot trail leaves the clearing to the south. Along much of its length the road is accompanied by old telephone poles and downed wire from the communication system that once served the tower. It follows red plastic markers
Trail blazing
Trail blazing, or trailblazing, is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with blazes, markings that follow each other at certain — though not necessarily exactly defined — distances and mark the direction of the trail...
down a winding course past a metal DEC gate at the boundary between public and private land to the northeast shoulder of the mountain at 3300 feet (1,005.8 m). There it joins and follows another old road, now with the blue markers of the Dry Brook Ridge Trail, down to where it crosses paved Mill Brook Road.
The tower itself is 47½ feet (14.5 m) tall. It is a steel frame
Steel frame
Steel frame usually refers to a building technique with a "skeleton frame" of vertical steel columns and horizontal -beams, constructed in a rectangular grid to support the floors, roof and walls of a building which are all attached to the frame...
structure, anchored by bolts on surface plates into the exposed sedimentary bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
at the summit, gradually sloping up to the enclosed cab at the top. Seven flights of steel stairs provide access from the ground.
Next to the tower, at the corner of the road and the summit clearing east of it, is the observer's cabin. It is a one-story batten
Batten
A batten is a thin strip of solid material, typically made from wood, plastic or metal. Battens are used in building construction and various other fields as both structural and purely cosmetic elements...
-sided gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
-roofed hut on a concrete foundation
Foundation (architecture)
A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...
with a metal roof. Just inside the woods to the north is the wooden privy
Outhouse
An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
. In the summit clearing there is also a more contemporary wooden picnic table
Picnic table
A picnic table is a modified table with attached benches, designed for eating a meal outdoors .-Uses:...
and, at the south end, the remains of an older foundation.
History
The tower was built, privately at first, to answer a public need. Later it became public property, even as that need declined. Since then it has found a new purpose.1885–1909: Establishment by Balsam Lake Club
The forests of the Catskills generally (though not those around Balsam Lake and its neighboring peaks) had been heavily exploited over the course of the 19th century by various forest-product industries, particularly tanningTanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
, which depended on the bark of the Eastern Hemlock
Eastern Hemlock
Tsuga canadensis, also known as eastern or Canadian hemlock, and in the French-speaking regions of Canada as pruche du Canada, is a coniferous tree native to eastern North America. It ranges from northeastern Minnesota eastward through southern Quebec to Nova Scotia, and south in the Appalachian...
for tannin
Tannin
A tannin is an astringent, bitter plant polyphenolic compound that binds to and precipitates proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.The term tannin refers to the use of...
, and left many stands of peeled first-growth trees to rot and die when they had taken all the usable bark. Loggers
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
harvested commercial-grade timber for furniture and made charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
in open pits in the woods.
Many simply abandoned the lands they owned after they had made their money, leaving them to default
Default (law)
In law, a default is the failure to do something required by law or to appearat a required time in legal proceedings.In the United States, for example, when a party has failed to file meaningful response to pleadings within...
to the counties in question, which then owed the unpaid property tax
Property tax
A property tax is an ad valorem levy on the value of property that the owner is required to pay. The tax is levied by the governing authority of the jurisdiction in which the property is located; it may be paid to a national government, a federated state or a municipality...
es to the state. The distressed forests also heightened the risk of forest fires and their attendant damage to local communities. In 1885 the Ulster County delegation to the state Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
resolved both issues by getting the Catskills included with the Adirondacks
Adirondack Mountains
The Adirondack Mountains are a mountain range located in the northeastern part of New York, that runs through Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties....
in the new Forest Preserve
Forest Preserve (New York)
New York's Forest Preserve is all the land owned by the state within the Adirondack and Catskill parks, managed by its Department of Environmental Conservation. These properties are required to be kept "forever wild" by Article 14 of the state constitution, and thus enjoy the highest degree of...
. The county's forest lands were transferred to the state to be kept forever wild, and with state ownership came state supervision of fire protection efforts. Nine years later, that legislation would be incorporated into a new version of the state constitution as Article 14, with language closing all the loophole
Loophole
A loophole is a weakness that allows a system to be circumvented.Loophole may also refer to:*Arrowslit, a slit in a castle wall*Loophole , a short science fiction story by Arthur C...
s business-friendly state regulators at the Forest Commission had been trying to use in the meantime.
In 1887, two years after the Forest Preserve was created, members of the Balsam Lake club who hunted and fished
Angling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
on its lands near the headwaters of the Beaver Kill south of the mountain, decided to build a tower on the summit to detect fires early. A crew of workmen supervised by the club's warden built a small tower from trees cut near the summit.
That tower stood until 1901, when members of the club went to the summit and found it destroyed by a fire, the probable result of a lightning strike
Lightning strike
Lightning strikes are electrical discharges caused by lightning, typically during thunderstorms.Humans can be hit by lightning directly when outdoors. Contrary to popular notion, there is no 'safe' location outdoors. People have been struck in sheds and makeshift shelters...
. A new tower, 35 feet (10.7 m) in height, was built to replace it in 1905. The members of the Balsam Lake club continued to maintain and staff it until 1909, when the state's Forest, Fish and Game Commission (FFGC), a predecessor agency to today's Department of Environmental Conservation
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for the conservation, improvement, and protection of natural resources within the U.S. state of New York. It was founded in 1970, replacing the previous Conservation Department...
(DEC), took over the tower.
1909–1970: Public use
Following destructive fires during severe droughts earlier in the decade, FFGC supervisor Hames Whipple had turned to towers as a means of fire detection, since the previous methods of ground patrols had not been successful. He had done so after consulting with E.E. Ring, manager of Maine's state forestry agency, who had put up nine at locations around that state. "In my opinion," Ring wrote him, "one man located at a station will do far more effectual work in discovering and locating fires than a hundred men already patrolling."The Balsam Lake tower joined those already operated by the state in the Catskills on Belleayre
Belleayre Ski Center
Belleayre Ski Center, in Catskill Park in the United States, is owned and operated by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation...
and Hunter
Hunter Mountain (New York)
Hunter Mountain is in the towns of Hunter and Lexington, just south of the village of Hunter, in Greene County, New York, USA. At approximately 4,040 feet in elevation, it is the highest peak in the county and the second-highest peak in the Catskill Mountains.While the mountain is closely...
mountains. Because of its height compared to the peaks to its west in Delaware County
Delaware County, New York
Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of 2010 the population was 47,980. The county seat is Delhi. It is named after the Delaware River, which was named in honor of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, appointed governor of Virginia in 1609.-History:When counties...
, it offered an excellent vantage point from which to spot fires in that area as well as its immediate surroundings in Ulster County. Views were unobstructed for 12–18 mi (19.3–29 km) in all directions.
After taking over, the FFGC spent $38 ($ in contemporary dollars) repairing the tower. The state also added a dedicated telephone line
Dedicated line
In computer networks and telecommunications, a dedicated line is a communications cable or other facility dedicated to a specific application, in contrast with a shared resource such as the telephone network or the Internet....
along a truck road it built connecting to Mill Brook Road at the north so the observers stationed at the tower would not have to hike to the tower from the club's very remote location at the end of a long road up an isolated river valley. In its first year, according to the commission's annual report
Annual report
An annual report is a comprehensive report on a company's activities throughout the preceding year. Annual reports are intended to give shareholders and other interested people information about the company's activities and financial performance...
, observers spotted fires as far away as Fallsburg
Fallsburg, New York
Fallsburg is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The town is in the eastern part of the county. The population was 12,234 at the 2000 census. The town takes its name from a waterfall on the Neversink River...
and Liberty
Liberty (town), New York
Liberty is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 9,632 at the 2000 census.The Town of Liberty contains a village of Liberty. The village is bisected by state route 52 and 55, and is crossed by New York State Route 17....
in Sullivan County
Sullivan County, New York
Sullivan County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 77,547. The county seat is Monticello. The name is in honor of Major General John Sullivan, who was a hero in the American Revolutionary War...
and in the Shawangunks
Shawangunk Ridge
The Shawangunk Ridge , also known as the Shawangunk Mountains or The Gunks, is a ridge of bedrock in Ulster County, Sullivan County and Orange County in the state of New York, extending from the northernmost point of New Jersey to the Catskill Mountains.The ridgetop, which widens considerably at...
, far to the south and southeast.
In 1918, the state replaced the crude shelter for observers, described by one as a "shanty", with a more permanent cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
. The next year the open wooden tower the club had built was replaced with a 47½-foot (14.5 m) Aermotor steel tower. Whether this is the current tower is not clear. The Historic Lookout Register says it was in turn replaced with the current tower in 1930, but records from the Conservation Commission, which the FFGC had become by then, show no expenditure for a new tower. DEC's webpage for the Wild Forest, however, gives 1930 as the construction date for the current tower.
Mike Todd, the observer from the time the cabin was constructed until 1947, was sometimes able to spot fires as far away as Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania is a geographic region of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains and the industrial cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleton and Carbondale....
, many miles to the southwest. During his tenure he claimed to have shot over 900 porcupine
Porcupine
Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...
s chewing on the cabin to prevent damage. He also took black bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
s around the tower and on his drive up.
In the early 1960s the state replaced the 1918 cabin with the current one. Unlike older observer's cabins in the Forest Preserve, the one on Balsam Lake lacks a porch. This was the most significant change to any aspect of the fire tower complex after the construction of the current tower. During that time the observers were busy. A drought in 1962 led to many fires, and similar conditions the following year resulted in Governor Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
ordering the closing of the Forest Preserve in 1963 and again for short periods the following year.
Another observer, Larry Baker, ended a search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
operation in 1968. He found some missing Boy Scout
Boy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
s from Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
who had gotten separated from their group, a short distance from the tower at the lean-to near the south end of the summit. That coincided with the beginning of the end of the era in which the fire towers were an essential component of the region's fire control system. Since the 1950s, better public education about the causes of forest fires, along with improved local fire departments, had led to a decline in fires. Aerial observers, who could cover the whole region several times a day, were becoming a more cost-effective way to detect fires, and the state slowly began closing the towers down and dismantling them.
1971–present: Decline and restoration
From 1971 onwards, Catskill forest historian Michael KudishMichael Kudish
Michael Kudish is an author, railroad historian, forester, and retired professor. He received his Ph.D. in 1971 from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse. His dissertation, on the history of Catskill forests, was the beginning of a lifelong...
describes the Balsam Lake tower as being manned "primarily for the entertainment of hikers". One of those was CBS News anchorman Dan Rather
Dan Rather
Daniel Irvin "Dan" Rather, Jr. is an American journalist and the former news anchor for the CBS Evening News. He is now managing editor and anchor of the television news magazine Dan Rather Reports on the cable channel HDNet. Rather was anchor of the CBS Evening News for 24 years, from March 9,...
, who owns property in Hardenburgh and, observer Tim Hinkley recalls, came up with his daughter one day in 1988. Later that year Hinkley became the Balsam Lake Mountain fire tower's last observer as it was closed. Three years later, with the closure of the Red Hill fire tower
Red Hill Fire Observation Station
The Red Hill Fire Observation Station consists of a fire lookout tower, cabin and pit privy located on the summit of Red Hill, a Catskill Mountain peak in Denning, New York, United States. It is the southernmost fire tower in the Catskill Park....
in the southern Catskills after a brief reopening due to severe drought, the fire tower era ended.
The tower remained, its lower flight removed in 1993 to prevent public access. Hikers continued to climb it for the views from the steps, but it was no longer maintained and subject to deterioration. In 1990 George Profous, a DEC forester, wrote in a draft planning document that the Red Hill tower, one of the five left in the Catskill Park along with Balsam Lake, should be dismantled as no longer in conformance with state management guidelines for Forest Preserve lands. He hoped that public opposition would emerge and save the remaining towers, which it did.
The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development
Catskill Center for Conservation and Development
The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, usually referred to as the Catskill Center, is a not-for-profit organization based in Arkville, New York, United States...
and DEC helped the communities near the fire towers form the Catskill Fire Tower Restoration Project. Volunteers in the area raised $16,000 through benefit concert
Benefit concert
A benefit concert or charity concert is a concert, show or gala featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate humanitarian crisis. Such events raise both funds and public awareness to address the cause at...
s and art exhibits. DEC employees and AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps is a U.S. federal government program that was created under President Bill Clinton by the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 and later expanded by 50 percent under President George W. Bush...
volunteers began restoring the tower in 1999, putting in new stairs and a new roof and windows for the cab. After new ironwork was installed, the tower reopened in 2000.
The tower today
Its views have been described as the finest from any Catskill fire tower, and it is a common destination for hikers. Aspiring members of the Catskill Mountain 3500 ClubCatskill Mountain 3500 Club
The Catskill Mountain 3500 Club, incorporated as the Catskill 3500 Club and often just referred to as the 3500 Club, is a peakbagging organization for hikers in the Catskill Mountains of New York...
come because the peak is required for membership, other hikers come to complete the Adirondack/Catskill Fire Tower Challenge, and some come just for the view from the tower itself.
It can be approached from three directions. The two most common use the Dry Brook Ridge Trail, blazed
Trail blazing
Trail blazing, or trailblazing, is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with blazes, markings that follow each other at certain — though not necessarily exactly defined — distances and mark the direction of the trail...
with blue plastic markers, to connect to the red-blazed Balsam Lake Mountain Trail, which makes a short loop across the summit. South of the fire tower it connects to the yellow-blazed Mill Brook Ridge Trail, which offers a longer approach from the west over that mountain.
The northern approach, the most popular, follows the old jeep road in its entirety from Mill Brook Road, the highest trailhead
Trailhead
A trailhead is the point at which a trail begins, where the trail is often intended for hiking, biking, horseback riding, or off-road vehicles...
in the Catskills at 2580 feet (786.4 m).The Quaker Clearing trailhead where the south approach begins is the next highest, at 2500 feet (762 m), with the Slide Mountain trailhead on Ulster County Route 47 third at 2400 feet (731.5 m). It is longer but less of a climb than the southern approach from the slightly lower trailhead at the end of Beaverkill Road. In 1998 the Mill Brook Ridge Trail was built. It starts from the west end of Alder Lake near Turnwood and runs 6.7 miles (10.8 km) to a junction with the Balsam Lake Mountain Trail 0.1 mile (150 m) south of the fire tower. It is considered the most ambitious route but is the least used.
Graham
Graham Mountain (New York)
Graham Mountain is the seventh highest of the Catskill High Peaks and the highest privately owned mountain in the range. It is located in the town of Hardenburgh, New York, United States....
and Doubletop
Doubletop Mountain (New York)
Doubletop Mountain is a mountain located in Ulster County, New York.The mountain is part of the Catskill Mountains.Doubletop Mtn. is flanked to the northwest by Graham Mountain, to the east by Big Indian Mountain, and to the southwest by the Beaver Kill Range....
mountains, Balsam Lake's higher neighbors to the east, dominate the view from the fire tower, with Slide, the highest Catskill peak, between them in clear weather. In the best of conditions the Blackhead Range
Blackhead Range
The Blackhead Mountains range is located near the northern end of the Catskill Mountains, in Greene County, New York, where it divides the towns of Windham and Jewett...
at the northeast corner of the Catskills is visible as well. To the north Dry Brook Ridge appears as a single peak rather than a long ridge, with Bearpen, highest peak in New York outside the Forest Preserve, visible in clear weather. Westward Woodpecker Ridge and the eastern summit of Mill Brook Ridge are closest, and in the distance the view looks down on the lower peaks in eastern Delaware County
Delaware County, New York
Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of 2010 the population was 47,980. The county seat is Delhi. It is named after the Delaware River, which was named in honor of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, appointed governor of Virginia in 1609.-History:When counties...
, with Mount Pisgah, home to Ski Bobcat, standing out above most of them. South the view takes in the Beaver Kill Range, with Peekamoose
Peekamoose Mountain
Peekamoose Mountain is a mountain located in Ulster County, New York.The mountain is part of the Catskill Mountains.Peekamoose Mountain is flanked to the north by Table Mountain....
, Table
Table Mountain (New York)
Table Mountain is a mountain located in Ulster County, New York.The mountain is part of the Catskill Mountains.Table Mountain is flanked to the south by Peekamoose Mountain, and to the northeast by Lone Mountain....
and Red Hill and its fire tower also visible. In clear weather the Shawangunk Ridge
Shawangunk Ridge
The Shawangunk Ridge , also known as the Shawangunk Mountains or The Gunks, is a ridge of bedrock in Ulster County, Sullivan County and Orange County in the state of New York, extending from the northernmost point of New Jersey to the Catskill Mountains.The ridgetop, which widens considerably at...
is also visible to the southeast, and Elk Mountain
Elk Mountain Ski Area
Elk Mountain Ski Resort is set in the Endless Mountains, 30 miles north of Scranton PA. The mountain has been given favorable reviews from Ski Magazine, including a listing in "Six Unsung Heroes", a roundup of hidden gems in skiing.-History:...
, highest peak in Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania
Northeastern Pennsylvania is a geographic region of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains and the industrial cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleton and Carbondale....
, is on the southwest horizon.
As part of the restoration project, interpretive guides man the tower on weekends during the warmer months. Camping is forbidden on the summit except in winter. Those who wish to stay the night on the mountain can camp in a lean-to
Lean-to
A lean-to is a term used to describe a roof with a single slope. The term also applies to a variety of structures that are built using a lean-to roof....
on the south slope below the spring at about 3300 feet (1,005.8 m).
See also
- Hunter Mountain Fire TowerHunter Mountain Fire TowerThe Hunter Mountain Fire Tower is located on the summit of the eponymous mountain, second highest of the Catskill Mountains in the U.S. state of New York. It was the first of 23 fire lookout towers built by the state in the region, and the next-to-last of the five still standing to be...
- Mount Tremper Fire Observation StationMount Tremper Fire Observation StationMount Tremper Fire Observation Station is a historic fire observation station located on Mount Tremper at Shandaken in Ulster County, New York. The station and contributing resources include a , steel frame lookout tower erected in 1917 and a jeep trail that extends from the base of the mountain...
- Red Hill Fire Observation StationRed Hill Fire Observation StationThe Red Hill Fire Observation Station consists of a fire lookout tower, cabin and pit privy located on the summit of Red Hill, a Catskill Mountain peak in Denning, New York, United States. It is the southernmost fire tower in the Catskill Park....
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Ulster County, New York
External links
- Balsam Lake Fire Tower at Catskill Center website
- Balsam Lake Mountain Fire Tower at the Fire Towers of New York Site