Smokey Bear 75th Anniversary GeoTour
Since 1944, Smokey Bear has taught millions of Americans about their role in preventing wildfires. 75 years later, Smokey is celebrating a milestone birthday. Honor him and this timeless message of wildfire prevention by finding all 75 caches in this GeoTour.
About This Specific Location
Placed with the permission of the Ohio Division of Forestry. You should not have to climb the firetower to access this geocache. This is 1 of 10 hidden Smokey Bear geocaches in OH and 1 of 75 hidden on the entire Smokey Bear Geotour which is located in the following 7 states: VA, MD, OH, DE, NJ, PA and WV.
This 80-foot firetower was constructed in 1934. Land acquisition for Hocking State Forest began in 1924, with the objective of returning abused hill farms and fire-damaged timber lands to productive forests. Most of the reforestation work was completed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Division of Forestry. Additional planting and forest improvement work was accomplished by the prisoners at the Hocking Honor Camp. Hocking State Forest now covers around 9,500 acres in Hocking County. The many gas wells and transmission lines that people see are a result of the development of a natural gas storage field under the forest area.
More About This GeoTour
By visiting all of these locations, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of why it is so important to prevent wildfires - whether in your backyard or out in the forest. The Middle-Atlantic Interstate Forest Fire Protection Compact are the Hosts of this GeoTour. We offer several trackable prizes so please use this GeoTour Passport to keep track of your progress.