Fire Towers Locationless (Reverse) Cache
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A LITTLE “PA” FIRE TOWER HISTORY
Pennsylvania has approximately (70) Fire Towers still standing, but only about (30) of these are actively used.
Cherry Springs Fire Tower is located along Route 44 in Potter County, PA, 17 miles southeast of Coudersport in the Susquehannock State Forest. The Fire Tower offers a commanding view of the 264,000 acres of northern Pennsylvania forest. Over the years the pine and hemlock in the Cherry Springs area was lumbered off and in its place grew maples, birches and other hardwood trees. For 70 years, the men of the Bureau of Forestry manned the fire tower and watched over the Susquehannock Forest. Now replaced by aircraft, the fire tower stands as a landmark to the many visitors of the Susquehannock Forest.
The original fire tower was erected in 1917 and stood 60 feet high costing $1212.00 (In 1979 a Pennsylvania fire tower cost well over $100,000). First manned in the spring of 1918, the view from the tower included parts of Lycoming, Clinton, Potter, and McKean Counties. In 1922, a 10x12 wood frame cabin was built as living quarters for the tower-man.
Fire Towers lookouts have played a significant role in the history of forestry and forest fire protection. The Cherry Springs Fire Tower was last manned in 1987. The lower steps have been removed to prevent visitors from climbing and damage to the building. The tower is aging, slowly deteriorating due to weather and some vandalism. Upkeep would be costly and dismantling and removing the fire tower and cabin is just a matter of time. Often it costs more money to take down one of these old towers than is economically feasible, so many unfortunately have been sold just for their scrap metal value.
Locate a Fire Tower. Take a picture of your GPS with the Fire Tower in the background. You will also need to post the coordinates in the appropriate space in the LOG along with the approximate number of steps to the top of the tower (Count them from the ground to the best of your ability).
I DO NOT RECOMMEND CLIMBING THE TOWERS.
Additional pictures and any other information that you feel like telling us are welcome. Posts that do not meet the requirements will be deleted.
Note: THIS IS NOT RESTRICTED TO PENNSYLVANIA FIRE TOWERS.
Usual locationless cache rules apply – one “find” per geocacher, each location can be logged only once.
Additional Hints
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