Historic Hood River
1939 Green Point Lookout Cabin
Notes
This view captioned “1939 Green Point Lookout Cabin” is from an album forwarded to us by the Troutdale Historical Society. We haven’t yet figured out whose album this was, but I haven’t given up yet. It may be connected with the Alta (Walter) May family, but the records are a bit scrambled.
Green Point Lake is now known as Kingsley Reservoir. While it was once used to hold logs for the Stanley Smith Lumber Company Green Point Mill, it is now water storage for the Farmers Irrigation District.
Does anyone know when the lookout was removed? The USFS removed many of the lookouts after World War II because they weren’t able to maintain them, so perhaps that’s what happened to this lookout.
As lookouts are not generally needed today to spot forest fires, some of the remaining lookouts are rented out by the USFS to folks who want to spend a night above the forest floor.
Will
Could this be Green Point Mt sitting above Rainy Lake? 1500′ higher than the Kingsley area.
Arthur Babitz
Ah, that makes more sense. There is also an image titled “Rainy Lake from Green Point look-out”.
RHD
This is interesting. I know a lot of history of the west side area up there, and I don’t recall anyone telling me there was a lookout up on Greenpoint? I would think that if they were going to go through the effort to build one, they would go up higher to Mt. Defiance as they aren’t very far away?
Arthur Babitz
I’ll post the “view from” picture next week so we can verify the location.
Will
This links to more info and three panoramas from 1934: http://iamwho.com/cdv2/westOr/mthood/mtho330/site.htm
Will
RDH – looks like a lookout on Defiance was constructed in 1923.
BethH
I have a great book, third edition of “Fire Lookouts of the Northwest” by Ray Kresek. 1998
In his directory of this area here is the info: “Green Point Mt, 4730’
12 miles SW of Hood River built in 1930, 25 T2N R8E the type of building was unknown- its gone.”
He does not have a photo of this lookout in this book- he could update his info with the type of cabin this is.
He lives in Spokane WA and has a Fire Lookout museum.
Looking on my maps- it shows that it does sit above, and Northwest of Rainy Lk. The Gorton Creek trail 408 goes over it – coming from the Gorge connecting to the Rainy Wahtum Lk trail 409, along the Waucoma Ridge.
I will reach out to Ray and share this site.
In comparison here is info about the lookout on Mt Defiance: 4960’
20 T2N R9E. 9 miles SWS of Hood River. FS 1925 tree crows nest and tent type. 1934-40’ pole L-4 twr.
1952-41’ TT L-4. Twr, destroyed in 1959 windstorm. 1962 41’ TT twr w/ flat cab. Gone 1971.
I remember when this tower was taken down. It was a regular thing to hike to the top of Defiance when you attended Camp Yallani on Kingsley Res.-once you were old enough to. We would play on the tower and around the bottom.
(TT =cresote treated sawn timber tower)
(Twr= tower)
(L-4= standard 14’x14’ frame precut house 1929-1953)
Jameson
The former lookout site is easily accessed by the trail from Rainy Lake. It makes a nice loop and there is also an abandoned WWII Signal Corps hut up there, not far from the summit. There were 100+ lookouts on the MHNF, including Defiance, Indian Mountain, Chinidere, Lost Lake Butte, etc.
Cecelia Parker Goodnight
Beth confirms my memories of hikes to Mt. Defiance from Camp Yallani. After being a camper there for many years I returned as a counselor while in college and led hikes for campers to the fire tower on Mt. Defiance. I don’t remember there being a fire tower at Camp Yallani.
BethH, would love to compare names of people you remember from Yallani days.