The lookout on Scott Mountain (sometimes mistakenly referred to as Mt. Scott) burned in the 2020 Archie Creek Fire. The 35′ tower was built in 1947 but had not been staffed in years. It had been outfitted with a remotely-monitored camera, which of course was destroyed in the fire. Now a new tower has been built to house a camera. The Douglas Fire Protective Association made this announcement today:
Here’s the content of the post if you’re not on Facebook:
“From the ashes of the devastation left behind by 2020’s Archie Creek Fire arises the newly erected Douglas Forest Protective Association’s (DFPA) Mount Scott camera detection tower.
“In order to fight fire, one must first be able to see the fire,” and Mount Scott, northeast of Glide, and about 25 miles east of Roseburg, was selected as a prime location for the Association’s very first lookout tower, which dates to 1912.
At 4,250 feet, this location can see Calapooia and Hinkle Creek drainages, Ben Moore Mountain, and clear to the north end of Douglas County. Looking south reveals the North Umpqua River, Glide, Little River, and Cavitt Creek areas. Westward is the Lower Calapooia Creek drainage, Oakland, Sutherlin, and Roseburg. And to the east, Rock Creek, the upper North Umpqua River area, and across the east boundary of the District into the Umpqua National Forest.
Of course, with aging and technological advancements, the Lookout has been rebuilt several times over the years and was retired from serving as a staffed Lookout tower and upgraded to a camera detection tower in the early 2000s.
A temporary tower was erected and utilized for the last several fire seasons since 2020’s total loss, but at last, a newly constructed, permanent tower has risen.
DFPA would like to thank the landowner of Roseburg Resources for their cooperation in allowing us to continue to utilize this area and would also like to express a very special recognition of DFPA’s very own Scott Jackson. Scott Jackson has pioneered the camera detection system since the beginning, alongside former District Manager Melvin Thornton. Scott investigated different international systems, coordinated the projects, and even named the current “Fire Watch” system. Scott has been with the Association since the 1980s fighting fires and serving as the Assistant Unit Forester of the North Unit before establishing himself as the lead Detection Camera Technician. Scott continues to climb, install, and maintain the current detection camera network for several districts, not only DFPA, and has trained and mentored newer climbers, such as Dana Pease and most recently, Nick Freeman.
Scott’s dedication to fire protection and detection has evolved wildland firefighting tactics that will forever live on in wildland fire history.