by Susan Couso
At 10,457’ elevation, Lassen Peak’s dominance over the surrounding terrain makes it the ideal spot for a fire lookout. In 1912, a telephone station was established at the top to connect a special waterproof telephone to the peak, which enabled communication with Forest Service Headquarters. But construction of lookout facilities was difficult due to the lack of accessibility to the mountain top.
Forest Service Supervisor Louis Kling had an idea. His proposal was to construct panels which could then be carried up the mountain and assembled on site. No section would be over six feet long or weigh over one hundred pounds.
Kling’s plan came to fruition in June of 1913, as the panels, pre-assembled in Red Bluff, were carried to the base of the peak on horses, and then transferred to the backs of rangers, who made up to two trips up the peak per day.
Each ranger carried 30 to 65 pounds, and Ranger Marshall Packer carried the door, which was the heaviest piece. The lookout was 10’ square, and had a bed, which folded up against the wall, a table, and a stove, and it was equipped with the latest fire lookout technology.
The lookout building was fastened together with iron clamps, and then secured to the ground with steel cables. The ingenuity, resourcefulness and demanding work had come together to complete a complex task.
Less than a year later, on May 30th, 1914, the mountain began to object. The first of hundreds of eruptions racked the site. The lookout cabin was shaken and shattered as the ground convulsed, and boulders were hurled, from the mouth of the new crater, through the cabin roof.
On June 13th, the Reno Evening Gazette reported that, “Forest Ranger Abbey and his party are safe. Word that they had escaped the eruption of Mt Lassen, which they were ascending when the eruption occurred, was contained in a telegram to the United States forestry service, received here today from Supervisor Rushing. The lookout station on the summit, near the crater, was destroyed, the telegram from Rushing said.”
The following day the San Francisco Chronicle described the volcanic disturbances at the mountain. “The explosion today was the fifth in the series that began on May 30th, and each successive outburst has been far more violent than the preceding one. So far, no damage has been done except the destruction of the Forest Service’s lookout house on the peak. The mountain is now covered with debris on this side to a point halfway down the main peak. Above a sharp line everything is dark, while below the snow gleams in the sun.
The eruptions continued for over two years, and as the mountain quieted down, brave rangers climbed the peak to assess the damage. The little lookout cabin was destroyed beyond repair, and Mother Nature, once again, showed her supremacy.
