The location of this Adirondack fire tower is unknown. We hope some of our visitors may recall where it was located and provide us with some history. Updates included by permission of the authors.

Update:  March 8, 2001

The tower in the picture is one of the original steel Aermotors erected in 1916.  This design was known as the "light" model due to the angle iron in the corners being dimensionally smaller than their other model.  They also featured no steps but a ladder on one side that went up the whole tower to a landing just below the cab deck.  Note in the picture a little steel extension out on the right side of the tower.  When stairs were added in the 1920's, the tower could not support the stairs and the tower so more stair supports were added making "a tower in a tower".  This picture, though, is before the steel ones were added - when wooden ones were.

The towers that were erected like this in 1916 were on:  Cathead Mt., Fort Noble Mt., Hamilton Mt., Makomis Mt., Moosehead Mt., T Lake Mt., Tomany Mt., Wakeley Mt. and Woodhull Mt.  The tower appears to be a 35 ft. tower which rules out Wakeley (82') and Cathead (53').  Pictures I have from the 1920's of the Tomany Mt. are to distant from the cabin to the tower ruling that one out. A  postcard I have from the 1920's of the Hamilton Mt. tower also does not match.  My trip up Woodhull and the placement of the cabins would not seem to match either.  A photocopied image of the Makomis tower from 1923 shows the cabin and tower with the summit devoid of trees ruling that one out too.  I also have a B&W photograph taken by a Kodak Photographer of a tower "up near Tupper Lake" which is of this same design.  I believe it is the Moosehead Mt. tower as the others do not match.  The image in my picture and this image are different.

Thus, we are now down to either Fort Noble Mt. or  T-Lake Mt.  Both towers had wooden stairs added in 1918 and steel steps were added in 1930 and 1931 respectively.  Using images that Rick Miller provided me showing the "new" cabins (1940's and 1920's) designs on Fort Noble relative to the tower itself, and the placement of the tower on a slight stand of rock, makes me believe that the tower in this image is the T-Lake Mt. tower, near Piseco Lake.  

Frederick Knauf, Spencerport, NY.

Past Director of NY State for the Forest Fire Lookout Association from 1989-1996

Sources:

1. "Fire Tower Statistics", State of New York Conservation Department Division of Lands and Forests publication, 1960's.
2. "New York State Conservation Department Annual Reports", NY Conservation Department, 1915 - 1935.
3. Postcard Photographic Image of Hamilton Mt. Fire Tower with wooden stairs, sometime from 1919 to 1931. Purchased from Mark Haughwout, Vt.
4. Photograph of Moosehead Mt. Fire Tower, courtesy of H. Lou Gibson, photographer, approx. 1950's.
5. Photographs of the Tomany Mt. Fire Tower, Ms. Bertha Slade, 1929 & 1969. Provided to me with permission by Rick Miller.
6. Photographs of the Fort Noble Fire Tower, 1980's., provided to me by Rick Miller.
7. Photographs of the Wakeley Mt. Fire Tower, 1983, by observer, Mark Clark.
8. My personnel hiking experiences and photographs of Cathead Mt., 1989,  Woodhull Mt., 1991, Makomis Mt., 1993

Update:  March 13, 2001

I seriously question Fred Knauff's claim that the mystery tower is T-Lake Mtn. The pictures from Rick Miller that Fred refers to are from my collection and pictures that both Rick and I have obtained over the past fifteen years.
    Fred should have noted that the cabins in the mystery tower photo are log cabins. In 1922 the state adopted a standard design for observer cabins, prior to then just about anything served as living quarters on the mountains. Also the cabin placement Fred refers to is not accurate. When the state constructed new cabins the existing cabins would remain in place until the new  construction was complete. Therefore the mystery tower photo was taken between 1916 and 1921.
    Unless Fred has a photo of T-Lake Mtn. or any other of the ten mountains in question that was taken prior to 1922 no one can use a later picture to identify this mountain.
     So until another photo surfaces dating before 1921 the only way to guess at the identity of the mystery tower is to compare physical land features on the placement of the tower. I've reviewed the Adirondack Museum's photo archives and they do not contain a picture of one of these ten towers that date between 1916 and 1921.
    If I had to venture a guess as to the identity of the mystery tower it would only be 90% accurate. I am down to either Fort Noble Mtn. and Tomany Mtn. and I'm leaning toward Fort Noble. After review of my T-Lake pictures I doubt that the mystery tower is T-Lake.

Bill Starr

Sources:

1) "Annual Reports to the NYS Legislature, 1885-1965" of the Forest, Fish and Game Commission, the Conservation Comm. and the Conservation Dept.
2) "Forest Fire;Control and Use" Arthur A. Brown
3) "Wildfires; Prevention and Control" Harry P. Gaylor
4) "The Adirondack Park; A Political History" Frank Graham Jr.
5) "West Canada Creek" David A. Beetle
6) "Adirondack Country" William Chapman White
7) NYS Envrionmental Conservation Law; Article 11
8) NYS Executive Law; Adirodack Park Agency Act
9) NYS Constitution; Forever Wild Amendment

Magazines

1) "Upstate Monthly"  July 1941
2) "The Conservationist" Issue 1 1946, Issue 2 1946,  Issue 3 1946, Feb-Mar 1948, Apr-May 1951, Feb-Mar 1953, Aug-Sept 1953, Dec-Jan 1953-'54,  Oct-Nov 1954, June-July 1959, Jan-Feb 1984 and Mar-Apr 1984.
3) "Adirondack Life" Summer 1974, July-Aug 1984 and Sept-Oct 1984

Individuals

1) Charles E. Boone, Superintendent NYS Forest Fire Control,(ret.)
2) James F. Lord, Superintendent NYS Forest Fire Control.
3) Ed Richards, Supervising District Forest Ranger (ret.)  a) Long Island Fire Towers
4) Don Perryman, Supervising District Forest Ranger
5) District Forest Rangers:  Don Seacord,  Paul Hartmann, Andrew Misura, E. Robert Nason, Stanley A. Lowell, William Sussdorf, Edwin Pierce, Lynn Day, Sr.,    James Emborsky, Ed Jacoby, Robert Bailey, Ray Wood, Morgan Roderick, Craig Knickerbocker
6) Forest Rangers:  Paul Rinaldi,   Walt Teuber (Long Island Towers), Dan Singer,  Dave Countryman, Terry Perkins, Gary Lee, Robert Hendrickson, Gary Mc Chesney, Bruce Coon, Leo Chamberlain, Gerry Husson, Dan Cummings,  Tom Eakin, Gary Roberts, Frank "Wilsy" Wagoner, Howard Lashway, Jim Ide, Clyde Black, Rick Requa, Lou Curth,  Vic Sasse, George Stec, Mike Hagadorn, Holton Seeley, Charles Hurtgam
7) NYS Office of Parks and Recreation:   James A. Rich, John Kennedy, Calvin Post
8)James R. Cross  Olean, NY BOCES
9) Don Mace  Whitney Industries  Long Lake, NY   a) Buck, Salmon Lake and Mt. Electra

Research Centers

1) NYS Archieves and Library   Albany, NY
2) Adirondack Research Section, Special Studies Center, Paul Schafer Library, Union College Schenectady, NY