The Elba Fire Tower construction started in 1933 by the CCC and
became operational in 1936. It is the farthest south of Minnesota's
fire towers. No longer manned by the State Division of Forestry,
the lookout is located on DNR land adjacent to Whitewater State
Park, in Elba, Minnesota, high on a bluff overlooking the town. The
110-foot tower, with a 7- by 7-ft. cab, was transferred to the
Division of State Parks for restoration and use as an interpretive
site. source: MN DNR
Most of Minnesota's forestry fire lookouts were constructed
during the era of the 3 C's, the Civilian Conservation Corps, a
project of Franklin D. Roosevelt's "National Recovery Act" of the
1930's. Thousands of young men were put to work doing projects
across the country.source: http://www.paulbunyan.net
Originally, the tower was manned during the spring and fall.
Over time, it fell out of use as newer approaches to fire
management were developed.
In 1995, an effort coordinated by the Elba Booster Club,
restored access to the tower. Today it is an educational,
recreational, and environmental resource open to the public. At the
site you'll see that many diverse groups came together to make this
happen. There are many high-quality interpretive signs along the
way.
The tower gives you the unique opportunity to see all three
branches of the Whitewater River converge. Where most rivers flow
south, the Whitewater River flows north to Weaver and on to the
Mississippi.
360° View
Facing southwest
Geocache Information:
Access is via well maintained trails and steps from the parking
lot east of Elba.
Look for a magnetic key holder on the sloped angle iron next to
the first step above one of the lower tower landings. It is
inside the cage, and if you're like me, you'll already be on
your hands and knees at this point anyway.
After logging the cache, see if you are brave enough to go to
the top of the tower.
Directions:
Drive to Elba, MN (you're on your own for this). From Elba, go
east on CR-26 for 1 mile and find the parking lot. This is the
closest parking and is part of the full experience.
Don't get fooled by outdated maps that show a road going to the
base of the tower. It's not there. It's possible to park in one of
the WMA parking lots on top (Zostrow Ridge) and hike over. If
you've been here before and want to add to the adventure, this
might be something to try.
Links:
History and first hand account by some other
visitors
Other Minnesota Fire Towers
National Historic Lookout Register
Forest Fire Lookout Association - Tower Listing
Ontario Canada (has lots more links). Be sure to
look at the forest fire picture on this page.
This geocache is registered and placed with the permission and
support of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Parks
Division, which manages public access to the firetower.
Bonus
The Elba Fire Tower can also be logged as a geodetic survey
benchmark. This may be the addtional incentive you need to continue
to the
top.Click here to log the benchmark find