BOUNDARY COUNTY
BALD EAGLE
Kaniksu National Forest
60N-2E-31
60N-2E-31
September 29, 1939: "Charged with burglarizing the United States forest service Bald Eagle lookout in Boundary county, Leo Scott and Robert Montague of Sandpoint were arrested Wednesday by county and state officers. Sheriff Warren Rapp reported yesterday.
In a two page confession given Sheriff Rapp, the Sandpoint men admitted they stole a quantity of groceries from the lookout on September 14.
'We were searching for huckleberries in and around Bald Eagle mountain when it became dark and we sighted the lookout. We approached the lookout and observed the trap door was open. We then climbed the lookout and found that the outside door was off its hinges and that the inner door was open. We entered the lookout, secured a lunch from the foodstuffs found in the lookout, made up beds, using the blankets found in the lookout and went to bed,' the confession read.
'The next morning we secured our breakfast, took my packsack and a box found in the lookout and packed various articles including four wool blankets, alarm clock and one small first aid kit.' the confession said, listing many other items which they took.
They told the sheriff that they hid the articles at 417 S. Ella street in Sandpoint. 'We came back down town in Sandpoint and later returned to the house while no one was at home, when we took the articles and hid them between the walls of the house in the upstairs where the same were found by the arresting officers on the evening of September 27.
The two men are being held on an open charge by the sheriff's office." (Northern Idaho News)
July 15, 1954: "The Kaniksu forest lookout towers at Roman Nose and Bald Eagle have been activated since July 4, according to Floyd R. Cowles assistant forest ranger. These two lookouts assisted by an air patrol, will constitute this year's primary fire detection system for the district.
The use of high priority lookout towers with daily aircraft patrol greatly increases the effectiveness of detection. This method was employed last year with these same towers together with lookouts on the other seven districts on the Kaniksu forest.
Ronald W. Moore of Yakima is stationed at the Bald Eagle lookout. A college student, this is his first season on lookout duty." (Sandpoint News Bulletin)
June 21, 1962: "Six old landmarks on the skyline of the Selkirk and Cabinet mountain ranges will soon disappear in the interest of public safety according to Sandpoint district ranger Ted Navratil. The abandoned U.S. forest service lookouts on Strawberry mountain, White mountain, Katka peak, Buck mountain, Bald Eagle mountain and McCormick ridge are in the process of being toppled and destroyed.
They were built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps bu have not been used or maintained since 1950 when the forest service went to aerial patrol to supplement its fire detection from key ground lookout points.
Over the past 12 years winter winds, heavy ice and snow, coupled with rot, have taken their toll on these structures making them dangerous to climb. The towers are now being toppled and burned by district fire control officer Eugene H. Napier if Sandpoint and packer Arlen Rose of Priest River.
They report snow banks 20 feet deep near the towns but the horses and mules were able to keep on top without breaking through. The work is scheduled for completion next week, Navratil stated." (Sandpoint News Bulletin)
Removed
