Owls Head Mountain Forest Fire Observation Station
The Owls Head Mountain Fire Observation Station is a historic fire observation station located on Owls Head Mountain at Long Lake in Hamilton County, New York. The station and contributing resources include a 35-foot-tall (11 m), steel frame lookout tower erected in 1919, the site of the former observer's cabin, and foot trail between the cabin site and summit. The tower is a prefabricated structure built by the Aermotor Corporation and provided a front line of defense in preserving the Adirondack Forest Preserve from the hazards of forest fires.
Owls Head Mountain Fire Observation Station | |
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Owls Head Mountain fire tower, October 12, 2014 | |
General information | |
Location | Owls Head Mountain, Long Lake, New York |
Coordinates | 43.957778°N 74.490278°W |
Construction started | 1919 |
Governing body | State |
Design and construction | |
Architect | Aermotor Corp. |
History
After a 1908 forest fire destroyed nearby Long Lake West (now known as Sabattis), New York State Conservation Department built a wooden fire tower on Owls Head Mountain in 1911 that was replaced in 1919 by the present tower. The tower was closed in 1970 as airplanes replaced fire observers. It has been restored and opened to the public.