WINSLOW HILL FIRE TOWER Traditional Cache
bubbabeernut: This was in sad shape, I'm replacing it with another cache.
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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This cache is placed near where the Winslow Hill Fire Tower once stood. The platform and the Bench Mark are still here. This property is owned by Andy Tuttle but you have his permission to Geo Cache here. All Geo Cachers are welcome as long as they don't litter or destroy the area.
This tower was a steel Blaw - Knox Tower, it was built in 1925 & removed in 2001. The removal was done with the aide of a helicopter.
Congratulations to HootnOwl for first to find honors!!!
What is the reason for a fire tower? A fire tower provides protection & housing for a fire lookout,
His duty is to search for wildfires in the surrounding wilderness. This small building on stilts is usually located on the summit of a mountain, or other high vantage point in order to maximize the viewing distance and range.From this vantage point the fire lookout can see any trace of smoke that may develop, determine the location by using a device known as an Osborne Fire Finder, and call fire suppression personnel to fight the fire.
The typical fire tower consists of a small room, known as a cab located atop a large steel, or wooden tower,
Towers gained popularity in the early 1900's, and fires were reported using telephones, heliographs, and carrier pigeons. A lot of fire lookout towers have fallen into disuse as a result of neglect, declining budgets and abandonment.
When a wildfire is spotted, the first step in the process is a timely and accurate reporting of the fire's location.
Weather conditions affect fire behavior, so measurements are routinely taken on temperature, wind speed and relative humidity using devices such as a Bell Weather Kit.
After spotting a fire the attendant uses a tool called an Osborne Fire Finder or an Alidade. This is an indicator or sighting apparadus on a plane table, used in angular measurement. A topographic surveying and mapping instrument with a telescope and graduated vertical circle is used to obtain the radial and distance to a suspected fire. From these measurements he will call in a "Smoke Report." By lining up this machine with the ire they can calculate the direction and bearing of the fire.
Each fire tower has a large map on one wal with every fire tower in the division marked on it. When a tower spots a fire, that tower uses its map to figure out where the fire is located. Using sighting from other tower, a Fire Observer can then triangulate to place a fire on the map and measure its distance from known locations on the ground. This information is used to direct response of firefighters on the ground.
Look out towers detect one half of all wildfires reported.
One can park at the parking cords given or bushwhack from the highway.
Thanks goes to the Mt. Zion Historical Society for the use of the Winslow Hill Fire Tower Photo.
Make sure to wear orange in hunting season.
Also in the summer months only cache in the day time, there is a camp ground near by, please try not to disturb the campers.
Please help to keep this area clean and open to the public.
I hope to acquire more photos of the Tower to post in the future.
Most of the above information was furnished by Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Congratulations to HOOTnOWL for 1st to find honors!
Additional Hints
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