Re-Opening of the Mountain Fire Lookout Tower
Mountain, June 10, 2016: We are pleased to invite you to a re-opening ceremony of the Mountain Fire Lookout Tower on the Lakewood Ranger District of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. The ceremony will be held at 10a.m. Friday, June 10, 2016. The ceremony will take place at the tower approximately two and one-half miles north of Mountain, Wisconsin off of Old 32 (Forest Road 2106). We are planning to serve snacks and refreshments immediately after the ceremony at the Schoolhouse Bar (14007 WI-32) in Mountain.
The Mountain Fire Lookout Tower was built in 1935 by the U.S. Forest Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps. It was once a part of an extensive lookout tower network in the former Nicolet National Forest. The Mountain Fire Lookout Tower was the first tower in Wisconsin to be placed on the National Historic Lookout Register and the National Register of Historic Places. It also was the 41stlookout tower to be registered in the United States. The tower was taken out of service in 1970 and was last restored in 1994.The Mountain Fire Lookout Tower was restored in 2015-2016 through a partnership between the Lakewood-Laona Ranger District of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest with financial assistance from the Oconto County Economic Development Corporation, numerous local businesses, organizations, communities and residents. Employees from the Lakewood-Laona Ranger District spent more than 500 hours doing the restoration work.
“This was a great partnership and community effort,” said Greyling Brandt, Recreation Program Manager on the Lakewood-Laona Ranger District. “Together we were able to restore the tower and now can open it to visitors again to get an up close look at a piece of Wisconsin’s history.”
Today, the 100-foot steel tower with a 7-by-7 foot cab is one of the few remaining lookouts on the east side of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.
The tower will be open to the public starting Memorial Day Weekend.
We sincerely hope that you plan to attend this ceremony. Please RSVP to tourism@ocontocounty.org or call 920-834-6969. We can also help provide information on area accommodations if needed.