Fire towers were an important part of the early warning system for wildfires in West Virginia. The first fire tower in the state was erected on Backbone Mountain in 1916. By the 1930s, there were over 100 fire towers operating in the state.
Fire towers were typically located on high points, where observers could scan the surrounding area for signs of smoke. When a fire was spotted, the observer would report its location to a nearby forestry office. Firefighters could then be dispatched to the scene to extinguish the fire.
Fire towers played a vital role in protecting West Virginia's forests from wildfires. In the early days of forest management, wildfires were a major threat to the state's timber resources. Fire towers helped to detect and suppress wildfires early, which minimized the damage they caused.
Fire towers began to be phased out in the 1970s, as new technologies such as aerial surveillance and satellite imagery became available. However, many fire towers remain standing in West Virginia today, as reminders of the state's rich history of forest management.
Here are some of the notable fire towers in West Virginia:
- Backbone Mountain Fire Tower: The first fire tower in West Virginia.
- Spruce Knob Fire Tower: The highest fire tower in West Virginia.
- Dolly Sods Fire Tower: A popular destination for hikers and photographers.
- Gatewood Fire Tower: Located near the highest point in West Virginia.
- Gaudineer Fire Tower: Named in honor of a fallen forest ranger.
These fire towers offer stunning views of the surrounding countryside and are a popular destination for visitors. They are also a reminder of the important role that fire towers played in protecting West Virginia's forests from wildfires.
Special Instructions to Federal Patrolmen :
Please note carefully the following special instructions as to your work ; ( 1 )is herewith appointed a Federal Patrolman . ( 2 ) Your rate of pay will be $ 2.50 per day , Sundays not included , but when necessary for you to fight fire or patrol on Sunday you will be paid for these days at the same rate .
( 3 ) Your appointment is from the ........ day of .......... , 191 .... , and you will be employed as long as the danger from forest fires continues . ( 4 ) You are assigned to lookout duty at .....
... Lookout Station , in ..... .... County , and continuous observation between 7:00 A. M. and 6:00 P. M. is absolutely necessary each day during such weather as requires lookout tower duty .
( 5 ) Your district includes sixteen miles from your station in every direc tion , and it will be your special duty to become familiar with this territory in detail , and especially should you become acquainted with the deputy fire wardens , both appointed and ex - officio , and all section foremen and track men , and in fact with all people residing within a boundary of sixteen miles from your station .
* ( 6 ) You should make arrangements with all persons possible in your ter ritory to immediately call you on ' phone and notify you of any fire in their section , and you should exert every effort possible to secure the cooperation of all persons possible in your district .
( 7 ) Maps will be furnished you on which will be shown the location of all deputy wardens , railroad foremen and trackmen , whose duty it is , when properly notified , to immediately attend and use all means possible to ex tinguish and control forest fires .
It is also the duty of all rural mail carriers to notify some officer of any fire they may discover when traveling their routes , so you should become ac quainted with these carriers and have them report any fire they discover to you .
( 8 ) You will be under the direct supervision of .... Special Deputy and Inspector of your district , and if possible you should daily confer with him by ' phone or otherwise , keeping him in close touch with your work .
( 9 ) You should fill out , in triplicate , a weekly report on blanks furnished you , showing the exact kind and character of work performed each day , and mail a copy of same to your district inspector , a copy to J. A. Viquesney , Forest , Game and Fish Warden , Belington , W. Va . , and retain the third copy for your own files .
( 10 ) You will be further instructed from time to time by your district inspector , or by this office on request .
Yours very truly ,
J. A. VIQUESNEY
" The law requires all Railroad Companies to remove all inflammable material from their rights of way ; to provide all locomotives with netting of steel or iron wire to prevent escape of sparks of fire from smoke stacks , and adequate devices to prevent escape of sparks of fire from ash pans or furnaces , and to employ in seasons of drought and before vegetation has revived in the spring , sufficient trackmen to put out fires on their rights of way.
Engineers , conductors or trackmen discovering or knowing of fires in fences or other material along the right of way of the railroad shall report same at the first station to the Station Agent ; such agent shall forthwith notify the nearest fire warden and use all necessary means to extinguish same .
Any employee or officer of a railroad company violating such provisions shall be fined not less than $ 20.00 nor more than $200.00. ”
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