Northwest Montana Lookout Association
Restoring & Preserving Fire Lookouts in Northwest Montana
listen to a shortened (~15 min), AI-created podcast please click here. listen to the full interview here Kjell talks about staffing the Snow Peak and Beaver Ridge lookouts as a U.S. Forest Service employee, starting in the late 1960s. He recalls how his lookout was struck by lightning three times in one afternoon, hauling water, …
listen here Kay describes her experiences working with her husband Keith at Numa Ridge and Apgar lookouts in Glacier National Park. She tells how she and Keith came to Montana in part because he loved the outdoors. She talks about their friendship with the Park’s ranger Adolph Opalka and his wife Marian, who mentored the …
listen here Cathy speaks of growing up in the Canal Zone in Panama, and moving back to the United States at the age of 13. She describes her college studies, in both California and Montana, and her move to Montana. She further accounts how she and her husband applied to work the Hubbard Lookout and …
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This PDF contains a snapshot of our previous website to preserve information about the work of NMLA over the years. Some images and descriptions may be split between pages, but without the original images and files, it would be impossible to recreate exactly. Please contact us if you have further questions. 2017 Completed ProjectsDownload
Listen here George discusses his childhood in Montana, including his time spent in a mining camp where his father worked. He describes his decision to become a fire lookout during the 1940s, working mainly at the Battery Lookout above Quintonkon Creek. Ostrom talks about the equipment he used, the telephone lines he maintained, and his …
listen here Ivan discusses his experiences as a U.S. Forest Service fire lookout at the Pioneer Ridge Lookout in the Flathead National Forest in Montana. He recalls lying about his age to get a summer job on a brush crew at the Coram Ranger Station in the Flathead National Forest, which led to getting a …
listen here Tom discusses his experiences as a U.S. Forest Service fire lookout at the Mud Lake Lookout in the Bob Marshall Wilderness area in Montana. He recalls fighting forest fires for two seasons before getting an opportunity to work as a lookout. Jones describes his living quarters, communication equipment, and daily chores, including hauling …
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