FOREST LOOKOUTS
  • IDAHO
  • ADAMS COUNTY
    • Bacon Hill
    • Council Mountain
    • Crooked River Peak
    • Granite Mountain
    • Horse Mountain
    • Indian (Mica)
    • Jackley
    • Kinney Point
    • Lick Creek Point
    • Lockwood Point
    • Peck Mountain
    • Pollock Mountain
    • Smith Mountain
  • BANNOCK COUNTY
    • Chinks Peak
    • Scout Mountain
    • Sedgewick Peak
  • BEAR LAKE COUNTY
    • Meade Peak
  • BENEWAH COUNTY
    • Beaver Mountain
    • Beaver Ridge
    • Carpenter Mountain
    • Charles Butte
    • Davis Point
    • East Dennis
    • Emida Peak
    • Engle Mountain
    • John Point
    • Lindstrom Peak
    • Nakarna Mountain
    • Pettis Point
    • Reeds Baldy
    • Rochat Peak
    • St. Joe Baldy
    • Squaw Hump
    • Sunset Mountain
    • Tyson Peak
    • West Dennis
    • Willow Peak
  • BINGHAM COUNTY
    • East Butte
  • BLAINE COUNTY
    • Bald Mountain
    • Bell Mountain
    • Red Hill
  • BOISE COUNTY
    • Bald Mountain
    • Bull Trout Point
    • Deadwood
    • Dry Buck Mountain
    • Hawley Mountain
    • Jackson Peak
    • Jackson Peak
    • Observation Peak
    • Packer John
    • Picket Mountain
    • Pilot Peak
    • Red Mountain
    • Scott Mountain
    • Shaffer Butte
    • Stevens Point
    • Sunset Mountain
    • Thorn Creek Butte
    • Warm Springs Point
  • BONNER COUNTY
    • Antelope Mountain
    • Atlasta
    • Barton Hump
    • Bear Creek
    • Bee Top Mountain
    • Benning
    • Big Meadows
    • Binarch Mountain
    • Blacktail Mountain
    • Blacktail Mountain
    • Blanchard
    • Blue Mountain
    • Bottle Bay
    • Boulder Mountain
    • Bugle Ridge
    • Butler
    • Cape Horn Peak
    • Caribou (Association)
    • Caribou Hill
    • Clagstone
    • Cottonwood Point
    • Cuban Hill
    • Delyle Ridge
    • East Fork Peak
    • Elk Ridge
    • Elmira Peak
    • Experimental
    • Experimental Spur
    • Faset Peak
    • Gisborne Mountain
    • Gold Peak
    • Granite Mountain
    • Grouse Mountain
    • Honey Mountain
    • Hoodoo
    • Howe Mountain
    • Huckleberry Mountain
    • Jasper Mountain
    • Johnson Peak
    • Lakeview
    • Lakeview
    • Lightning Mountain
    • Lightning Peak
    • Little Blacktail
    • Little Grass
    • Long Mountain
    • Lost Creek Ridge
    • Lunch Peak
    • Moose Mountain
    • Mount Pend Oreille
    • Newport Hill
    • Nickleplate Mountain
    • Packsaddle Mountain
    • Plowboy Mountain
    • Poirier Tree Farm
    • Prater Mountain
    • Quartz Mountain
    • Rapid Lightning
    • Reeder Mountain
    • Roberts mountain
    • Round Top Mountain
    • Sandpoint Baldy
    • Scotchman Peak
    • Scout Point
    • Shaffer Peak
    • Smith Mountain
    • Spruce Divide
    • Stone Johnny
    • Strawberry Mountain
    • Sundance Mountain
    • Tola P:oint
    • Trestle Peak
    • Trout Peak
    • Uleda Point
    • Watson Mountain
    • Whitetail Butte
  • BONNEVILLE COUNTY
    • Black Mountain
  • BOUNDARY COUNTY
    • Bald Eagle
    • Bear Point
    • Bethlehem Mountain
    • Black Mountain
    • Blue Joe
    • Bonners Ferry R.S.
    • Browns mountain
    • Buck Mountain
    • Buckhorn Mountain
    • Burton Peak
    • Bussard Mountain
    • Camels Prairie
    • Canida Peak
    • Caribou Ridge
    • Cedar Ridge
    • Clifty Mountain
    • Continental Mountain
    • Cooks Peak
    • Copeland
    • Copper Mountain
    • Cutoff Peak
    • Deer Ridge
    • Dodge Peak
    • Early Ridge
    • Eddy Peak
    • Farnham Peak
    • Fisher Peak
    • French Ridge
    • Goat Mountain
    • Goblin Knob
    • Grass Mountain
    • Green Bonnet
    • Hall Mountain
    • Harrison Peak
    • Harvey (Mission)
    • Hogue Mountain
    • Horton Ridge
    • Hughes Ridge
    • Hunt Peak
    • Katka Peak
    • Little Snowy Top
    • Lookout Mountain
    • McCormick Ridge
    • Myrtle Peak
    • Queen Mountain
    • Roman Nose Peak
    • Sand Peak
    • Smith Peak
    • Solomon Mountain
    • Squawman Peak
    • Timber Ridge
    • Tungston Mountain
    • Twentymile Peak
    • Two Tail
    • Wall Mountain
    • West Fork
    • White Mountain
  • BUTTE COUNTY
    • Big Southern Butte
  • CAMAS COUNTY
    • Fairfield
    • Iron Mountain
    • Lick Creek
    • Paradise Peak
  • CANYON COUNTY
    • Big Tower
  • CASSIA COUNTY
    • Mt. Harrison
    • Pike Mountain
    • Trapper Peak
  • CLARK COUNTY
    • Lookout Butte
    • Lookout Point
  • CLEARWATER COUNTY
    • Aldermand Ridge
    • Angel Butte
    • Armstrong Peak
    • Balancing Rock
    • Bald Knob
    • Bald Mountain
    • Bar Point
    • Bear Butte
    • Beaver Butte
    • Benton Butte
    • Bertha Hill
    • Big Horn Point
    • Billings
    • Birch Ridge
    • Black Mountain
    • Blacklead Mountain
    • BM Hill
    • Boehls Butte
    • Brown's Creek #1
    • Brown's Creek #2
    • Browns Rock
    • Bruin Hill
    • Buck Butte
    • Cave Point
    • Chateau Rock
    • Clarke Mountain
    • Cold Spring
    • Cook Mountain
    • Crooked Fork
    • Dan Lee (Dewey)
    • Deadhorse
    • Doris Point
    • Dull Axe
    • Eagle Point
    • Elk Butte
    • Elk Mountain
    • Fly Hill
    • Gold Butte
    • Green Mountain
    • Hemlock Butte.
    • Horseshoe Lake
    • Huckleberry Butte
    • Jericho Mountain
    • Lean-to Ridge
    • Little Green Mountain
    • LUNDE PEAK
    • Orofino Creek
    • Osier Ridge
    • Pot Mountain
    • Scofield
    • Scurvy Mountain
    • Shanghai
    • Silver Butte
    • Stocking Meadows
    • The Nub
    • Township Butte
    • Wallow Mountain
    • Whiskey Butte
  • CUSTER COUNTY
    • Basin Butte
    • Big Soldier
    • Bowery Guard Station
    • Cape Horn Peak
    • Cottonwood Point
    • Cougar Creek
    • Custer
    • Deadwood Point
    • Estes Mountain
    • Feltham Creek Point
    • Greyhound Mountain
    • Grouse Creek Peak
    • Grouse Peak
    • Horton Peak
    • Iron Creek Point
    • Little Soldier Mountain
    • Lookout Mountain
    • Loon Creek Point
    • McGowan Peak
    • Meridian Peak
    • Mount Greylock
    • Pinyon Peak
    • Potaman Peak
    • Red Wing (Sheep)
    • Rookie Point
    • Ruffneck Peak
    • Sawtooth Valley
    • Sheep Mountain
    • Sherman Peak (Trap)
    • Sliderock Ridge
    • Summit Rock
    • Thompson (Iron)
    • Wildhorse
  • ELMORE COUNTY
    • Bennett Mountain
    • Cayuse Point
    • Danskin Peak
    • Grouse Creek Butte
    • HORSE HEAVEN (e)
    • House Mountain
    • Lava Mountain
    • Sheep Mountain
    • Steel Mountain
    • Swanholm
    • Trinity Peak
  • FREMONT COUNTY
    • Big Springs
    • Bishop Mountain
    • Elk Butte
    • High Point
    • Warm River Butte
  • GEM COUNTY
    • Squaw Butte
  • IDAHO COUNTY (A-L)
    • Anderson Butte
    • Ant Hill
    • Archer Point
    • Arctic Point
    • Austin Ridge
    • Bad Luck Point
    • Bailey Mountain
    • Bald Mountain (CNF)
    • Bally Mountain
    • Barren Hill
    • Bat Point
    • Battle Creek
    • Bear Mountain
    • Bear Pete
    • Bear Point
    • Bear Wallow
    • Beargrass
    • Beaver Jack
    • Beaver Ridge
    • Bell Point
    • Bemis Point
    • Big Burn Point
    • Big Creek (Patrol)
    • Big Creek Point
    • Big Hill
    • Big Hill (P)
    • Big Rock (62)
    • Big Sand
    • Black Butte
    • Blackhawk Mountain
    • Blacktail (Frisco)
    • Blacktail Butte
    • Blue Joint
    • Buffalo Hump
    • Burnt Knob
    • Burnt Knob
    • Burnt Strip
    • Butts Creek Point
    • Carey Dome
    • Castle Butte
    • Cedar Knob
    • Chair Point
    • Chicken Peak
    • Cold Mountain
    • Coolwater
    • Corral Hill
    • Cottonwood Butte
    • Cottonwood Butte
    • Cub Point
    • Diablo Mountain
    • Double Creek Ridge
    • Dry Diggins
    • Eakin Point
    • Elk Summit
    • Elkhorn Mountain
    • Falls Point
    • Fish Butte
    • Fish Creek
    • Fog Mountain
    • Freeman Peak
    • Gardiner Peak
    • Grave Butte
    • Grave Peak
    • Grave Point
    • Green Mountain
    • Grouse Ridge
    • Hard Butte
    • Harrington Mountain
    • Heavens Gate
    • Hells Half Acre Mountain
    • Hershey Point
    • Hida Point
    • High Spring
    • Highline
    • Indian Hill
    • Indian Post Office
    • Indian Ridge (Pettibone)
    • Iron Mountain
    • Jay Point
    • Jerry Johnson
    • John Day Mountain
    • Lake Creek Point
    • Lochsa Peak
    • Lone Pine
    • Lookout Butte
  • IDAHO COUNTY (M-W)
    • Magruder Mountain
    • Mammouth Mountain
    • Maple Lake
    • Marble Point
    • Marshall Point
    • Maxwell Point
    • McConnell Mountain
    • Meadow Creek
    • Meeker Ridge
    • Middle Butte
    • Mink Point
    • Moccasin Point
    • Mocus Point
    • Moe Peak
    • Mount Aura
    • Mount George
    • Mud Creek
    • Nelson (Mill Creek)
    • Nezperce Peak
    • Nolan Point
    • North Pole
    • Nut Basin
    • Old Man Point
    • Oregon Butte
    • Pettibone Ridge
    • Pilot Knob
    • Porters Mountain
    • Puzzle Point
    • Quartz Ridge
    • Ramey Ridge
    • Rock Rabbit Point
    • Rocky Point
    • Rocky Point
    • Roots Knob
    • Round Top Mountain
    • Salmon Mountain
    • Savage Ridge
    • Shearer Peak
    • SEABURG POINT
    • Sheep Hill
    • Sheepeater Mountain
    • Shissler Peak
    • Slate Point
    • Spot Mountain
    • Square Mountain
    • Squaw Peak (Wahoo)
    • Steamboat Peak
    • Stoddard Creek Point
    • Swet Lake
    • Three Prong
    • Tony Point
    • Twin Butte
    • Vance Mountain
    • VERMILLION PEAK
    • War Eagle
    • Weasel Point
    • Weitas Butte
    • Wolf Point
    • Wood Hump
    • Woodrat Mountain
    • Wounded Doe Ridge
    • Wylies Peak
  • KOOTENAI COUNTY
    • Bernard Peak
    • Boise Peak
    • Boundary Peak
    • Buckles
    • Burnt Cabin Knob
    • Canfield Butte
    • Carrill Peak
    • Cataract Peak
    • Cedar Mountain
    • Chilco North
    • Chilco South
    • Colt Mountain
    • Copper Mountain
    • Dudley Peak
    • Eagle Peak
    • Echo Peak
    • Elk Mountain
    • Frost Peak
    • Hamilton Mountain
    • Hemlock Mountain
    • Huckleberry Mountain
    • Hudlow Mountain
    • Jackknife Peak
    • Spades Mountain
    • Swan Peak
  • LATAH COUNTY
    • Bald Mountain
    • Ball Butte
    • Beals Butte
    • Boulder Mountain
    • Chambers Hill
    • East Gold Hill
    • Flynn Butte
    • Gold Hill
    • Mason Butte
    • McGary Butte
    • Mica Mountain
    • Mineral Mountain
    • Mission Mountain
    • Moscow Mountain (East)
    • Moscow Mountain (West)
    • Mount Margaret
    • Potato Hill
    • Preston Knob (ELO)
    • Prospect Peak
    • Rocky Point
    • Sand Creek
    • Sherwin Point
    • Three Tree Butte
    • Turnbow Point (Patrol)
    • West Emerald
    • West Gold Hill
    • West Twin
  • LEMHI COUNTY
    • Anderson Mountain
    • Alan Mountain
    • Baldy
    • Beartrap
    • Blackbird Mountain
    • Blue Nose
    • Corn Lake
    • Duck Creek Point
    • Flume Creek Point
    • Fly Creek Point
    • Gant Mountain
    • Granite Mountain
    • Haystack Mountain
    • Horse Heaven
    • Hot Springs
    • Indian Peak
    • Indian Point
    • Jureano Mountain
    • Lake Mountain
    • Long Tom
    • Martin Mountain
    • McEleny Mountain
    • Meyers Cove
    • Middle Fork Peak
    • Napolean Hill
    • Oreana
    • Poison Peak
    • Red Rock Mountain
    • Sagebrush
    • Sal Mountain
    • Sheep Mountain...
    • Sheepeater Point
    • Sheephorn Mountain
    • Skunk Camp
    • Sleeping Deer Mountain
    • Square Top
    • Squaw Peak
    • Stein Mountain
    • Stormy Peak
    • Sugarloaf
    • Swan Peak
    • Taylor Mountain
    • Twin Peaks
    • Ulysses Mountain
    • West Horse
    • White Goat
    • Woodtick Summit
  • LINCOLN COUNTY
    • Notch Butte
  • MADISON COUNTY
    • Lookout Mountain
  • MINIDOKA COUNTY
    • Kimama Butte
  • OWYHEE COUNTY
    • South Mountain
  • PAYETTE COUNTY
    • Sand Hollow
  • POWER COUNTY
    • Mosby Butte
  • SHOSHONE COUNTY
    • Adams Peak
    • Agatha Creek
    • Anthony Peak
    • Arid Peak
    • Avery Hill
    • Bad Tom
    • Bald Mountain..
    • Bathtub Mountain
    • Bearskull
    • Beaver Peak
    • Beaver Peak
    • Beetle Hump
    • Berge Peak
    • Bernier Point
    • Big Creek
    • Big Dick Point
    • Binocular Point
    • Black Peak
    • Blackjack Peak
    • Bumblebee Peak
    • Cedar Mountain
    • Cemetery Ridge
    • Conrad Peak
    • Cougar Peak..
    • Dunn Peak
    • Flash Peak
    • Freezeout Ridge (Mtn)
    • Grandmother Mountain
    • Grassy Mountain
    • Griffith Peak
    • Grizzly Mountain
    • Hoyt Mountain
    • Huckleberry Mountain
    • Hulliman Peak
    • Incline Ridge
    • Kellogg Peak
    • Lemonade Peak
    • Little Guard Peak
    • Little Joe Mountain
    • Mallard Peak
    • McDonald Peak
    • Middle Sister Mountain
    • North Snow Peak
    • Pine Point
    • Polaris Peak
    • Pulaski
    • Quarles Peak
    • Snow Peak
    • Spyglass Peak
    • Striped Peak
    • Sunset Peak
    • Surveyors Ridge
    • Taylor Peak
    • West Elk Peak
    • White Peak
  • TETON COUNTY
    • Garns Mountain
  • TWIN FALLS COUNTY
    • Castleford
    • Evans Ranch
    • Unnamed #1
    • Unnamed 2
  • VALLEY COUNTY
    • Acorn Butte
    • Artillary Dome
    • Bear Creek Point
    • Bear Valley Mountain
    • Bearskin
    • Big Baldy Mountain
    • Black Butte....
    • Black Mare
    • Boulder Mountain
    • Brundage
    • Center Mountain
    • Chilcoot Peak
    • Cougar Rock
    • Deer Creek Point
    • Duck Lake
    • Eagan Point
    • Eagle Rock
    • Eagle's Nest
    • East Mountain
    • Eureka Point
    • Fletcher Butte
    • Gold Fork
    • Gold Fork Rock
    • Gray's Peak (North)
    • Horse Mountain
    • Indian Ridge
    • Krassel Knob
    • Lightning Peak
    • Little Baldy
    • Log Mountain (Baldy)
    • Lookout Mountain
    • Lookout Peak
    • Meadow Creek
    • Miners Peak
    • Missouri Ridge
    • Morehead Mountain >
      • Work Party - 2015
    • No Business
    • Norton Ridge
    • Parks Peak
    • Pearl Creek Point
    • Pilot Peak
    • Point 7965
    • Rice Peak (Blue Point)
    • Rush Creek Point
    • Shellrock Peak
    • Short Creek
    • Silver Creek Point
    • Split Creek Point
    • Tailholt Peak
    • Teapot Dome
    • Thunderbolt Mountain
    • Tripod Peak
    • Two Point Peak
    • Whitehawk
    • Williams Peak.
  • WASHINGTON COUNTY
    • Cuddy Point
    • Sturgill Peak
  • New Page

SHAFER BUTTE

Boise County - Southern Idaho TPA - 5N-3E-15
August 14, 1926:  "Idaho is having a stubborn time fighting forest fires.  Emergency crews in privately owned timber along the south fork of Shafer creek in the Boise basin country have attacked the fire from the south side, after blocking it against further advances westward.
     Nine fires in that locality and in the vicinity of Harris creek are reported to have been started within the last few days by electrical storms.  Seven fires developed rapidly while the others were extinguished.  A report from the Shafer Butte lookout station described the fire as having a three-mile front, with one extremity lying on the edge of valuable timber lands and the other threatening dry farms near Stackrock, where the ninth fire was discovered."  (Morning Oregonian)

July 21, 1928:  "Senator William E. Borah today enjoyed breakfast of ham and eggs and pancakes on one of Idaho's highest lookout points.
     Accompanied by forest officials including Major R.Y. Stuart, chief forester, and C.A. Barton, general manager of the Boise-Payette Lumber company, the senator motored to Shafer mountain lookout station where one of the most completely equipped forest stations in the West is located."  (Twin Falls Daily News)

September 28, 1928:  A caption with a photo of the lookout, "Senator William E. Borah and Major R.Y. Stewart, chief forester of the United States, were the honored guests at the official opening of the lookout station atop Shafer mountain, 7600 feet elevation.  The senator is in the middle of the group on the horse and Major Stewart is the other member of the party who is pictured on horse."  (The Salt Lake Tribune)

June 29, 1929:  "In keeping with other summer topics, the Boise forest office Friday announced that the road past Sunset Peak to Shafer Butte Lookout, 13 miles from Boise, is now negotiable for automobiles.  Less than two weeks ago a snow bank, 36 feet deep, near the lookout station, was cut through to open the road."  (The Salt Lake Tribune)

July 25, 1929:  "After discussing the fight against fire and animals to save the forests, representatives at the meeting of the intermountain regional forest protection board left Wednesday afternoon to view Shafer Butte, one of the most effective lookout stations in the country. 
     The Butte lifts its head above the Boise National forest north of here to a point where observers can spot fires scores of miles distant and report their location to the fire dispatcher.  Moreover, the station is among the best equipped to determine weather conditions affecting fire conditions in the forests."  (The Salt Lake Tribune)

September 27, 1929:  "With danger of forest fires virtually over, lookouts and fire crews will be taken out of the Boise forest by October 1, Guy Mains, supervisor, said Thursday.
     Recent storms placed a cap of snow on the higher ranges of the forest and reduced the temperature on the balance to make it safe.
     Lookouts will be maintained on Shafer Butte and other central points for emergency purposes.  Due to disappearance of the smoke, these can see practically all parts of the forest."  (The Salt Lake Tribune)

December 1929:  "Shafer Butte Lookout, north of Boise and outside the Boise Forest, is maintained by the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Ass'n.  This lookout also has a narrow, mountain road to its crest, and in 1929 a total of 609 people registered there, of which 11 1/2 % were from outside the State of Idaho."  (Six Twenty-Six)

July 8, 1933:  "Melford Vaught, fire lookout on Shafer Butte, above Boise, has a keen eye for forest fires.  He reported smoke arising from near a conservation camp below him, called the camp by telephone to put it out and it was discovered to be a group of men smoking."  (The Salt Lake Tribune)

May 22, 1934:
   "Shafer peak lookout, southernmost fire spotting station of the Southern Idaho Timber Protective association, eight miles north of Boise, was opened for the season today."   (Idaho Evening Times)

October 6, 1936:   "The Boise national forest's 1495-pound periscope, borrowed from the United States navy for experimental purposes, was used on Shafer peak for the first time in actual fire-detection work Sunday and results were reported highly satisfactory.
      The Boise forest's hundredth fire of the season broke out in the Smith's Prairie district in the afternoon.   It's exact location could not be determined by the lookout who spotted it.   The big 'scope on Shafer peak was turned in the direction of the fire and its location quickly calculated, although the fire was 37 airline miles away.
      Ranger Miller from Pine was sent to the fire and found a farmer burning brush without a permit.   He was arrested.
      I. M. Varner, Boise fire warden, was enthusiastic about use of the periscope in fire detection after extensive experiments conducted recently to determine its range and adaptability to fire patrol work.   The instrument proved far superior to either the naked eye or powerful field glasses in spotting a fire and determining its location, according to Varner.
      Fires no larger than three feet in diameter were discovered from a distance of 40 miles.   Additional advantage of the periscope over ordinary methods is that it can be used against the sun and after sundown.   Many times the area covered by an observer with field glasses can be searched with the instrument and, with the use of its range finder, only one lookout is necessary to determine a fire's location instead of the two necessary under the system now used.
      Varner predicted that within a few years every forest lookout will be equipped with some kind of periscope suited to forest fire observation."   (The Idaho Statesman)

January 28, 1945:
   "Mrs. Lucy Schlosman of Boise was located on Shaffer Butte lookout.  In addition to lookout work she took care of a complete set of weather instruments and called in readings four times a day."   (Idaho Statesman)

July 25, 1948:   "The Standleys use the lower portion of the lookout for a kitchen and general living and dining room.  The second floor is both the lookout office and bedroom,  Bathroom facilities are of the type one finds at night with a lantern.
     The lookout is on a bare top of the butte.  It is surrounded by lightning arresters and meteorological equipment.  There is a garage for their automobile, and a driveway circles the flag pole down a few feet from the tower.  The drop on all sides of the peak is precipitous.  The lookout is not protected against the elements except by stout cables which anchor it to the mountain top."   (Idaho Statesman)

1958:   Two-story cab.  (Kresek)

​July 2, 1959:
  "Mrs. Ronald Ashley, observer at the Shaffer Lookout on the Boise National Forest, was accompanied to her station last Saturday by her mother, Mrs. A.J. Winters.  Mr. Winters is spending the Fourth of July weekend at the lookout."   (The News-Examiner)

1980:  A three story was erected to replace the old two-story structure.

National Geodetic Survey


DESIGNATION - SHAFER BUTTE LOH
PID - OH1216
STATE/COUNTY- ID/BOISE
COUNTRY - US
USGS QUAD - SHAFER BUTTE (1976)

STATION DESCRIPTION

DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1959 (JEG)
THE LOOKOUT HOUSE IS A TWO STORY BUILDING 22 FEET SQUARE, 30
FEET HIGH, PAINTED GREEN AND HAS A FLAT TOP. IT IS ABOUT 150
FOR THE CONCRETE FOUNDATION WHICH IS TO BE USED FOR AN
OBSERVATION POINT FOR VISITORS.

THE CENTER OF THE LOOKOUT HOUSE WAS USED.
rex's fire lookout page
IDAHO:  A CLIMBING GUIDE
national historic lookout register
Picture