This page contains some links and a few points of the history of the fire towers and fire control in Indiana in general. It’s a place for me to drop some images that apply to towers in general that don’t fit into the specific tower pages. (This page isn’t aiming for completeness.) Generally speaking, the history covers the overlapping areas of Indiana state forests, Indiana state parks, and the US Forest Service.
Links to firetower history resources
For a more complete history please read IDNR – Division of Forestry, Fire Control – which I think was written or co-written by Teena Ligman.
Here’s a YouTube video of a presentation by Teena Ligman from 2022.
IDNR did a video in 2013 which is available on YouTube
There is a good article in Outdoor Indiana from July 1959 later on this page.
1900s-1910s
In 1903 the first state-owned forest was established: Clark County State Forest aka Clark State Forest.
The Indiana state park system started in 1916 with the creation of McCormick’s Creek and Turkey Run. (A mostly complete list is provided at the bottom of this page.)
1920s
Henryville fire tower constructed as first tower in Indiana in 1928 in Clark State Forest.
1930s
In 1930, nearly 134,000 acres had been burned by a series of 225 fires, according to an article in the January 1941 Outdoor Indiana. By 1933, ten fire towers had been established.
Mason Ridge tower in Morgan-Monroe State Forest erected in 1930 or 1931.
Wyandotte tower erected in 1932 (according to a sign at the tower; although the Living New Deal site says a steel tower was completed in 1937 to replace a temporary wooden tower.)
Martin State Forest’s Willow Valley tower was completed in 1933.
In 1932, there were 5 state forests.
Not sure which tower is pictured in this April 1934 article. The text says that there are “14 fire observation towers”.
Ferdinand State Forest created in 1934; Ferdinand tower was constructed in 1935.
Lincoln tower constructed in 1934.
McCormick’s Creek tower completed in 1934.
West Fork lookout tower built in 1935, according to NGS data sheet.
Hartwell tower in Pike State Forest was completed in 1935.
March 1935 Outdoor Indiana describes the recent authorization of Forest Service national forest purchase units in Indiana. Three are mentioned: Lafayette in Perry and Crawford Counties; Pleasant Run in Brown, Jackson, Monroe, and Lawrence Counties; and Lost River in Martin, Lawrence, Orange, and Dubois Counties.
July 1935 Outdoor Indiana article says there are six major state forests: Morgan-Monroe, Clark, Jackson, Harrison, Martin, and Dubois Counties; and that “a fire tower was erected in each state forest”.
September 1935 Outdoor Indiana article about fire fires mentions that there are “twenty observation towers”.
Above is a mention and a picture of a replica fire tower at the state fair in 1935. I have seen this in later state park pictures also.
The Hoosier National Forest was created in 1935, and land acquisition started in 1936.
Ouabache tower was constructed between 1935 and 1936.
This Outdoor Indiana article from June 1936 mentions that Indiana was being divided into three forest districts, to be headquartered in Indy, Brownstown, and Paoli. It describes the roles of fire wardens and towermen.
Here’s the state fair tower-replica again.
The November 1936 issue of Outdoor Indiana has a fire prevention article that mentions the three state forest districts, and says there are “ten towers in each of the two southern districts, and each one controls an area of eight radial miles or over 200 square miles.”
This July 1937 article says there are 22 lookout towers.
In 1937, topographic maps were in the process of being developed for Indiana. Most quadrangles had been mapped but not all of them. Two articles in 1937 issues of Outdoor Indiana describe the process. Eventually this will lead to the realization that some towers were not at the most strategic/high-altitude places. In a 1938 issue, it is said that the topographical map work continues, and a few of the maps will be available in 1939.
A January 1939 OI article again mentions that “twenty-two steel fire towers” have been built.
Owen State Forest created in July 1937.
1940s
By June 1940, there are 14 state forests.
An article in the July 1940 OI states that there are “thirty steel towers”, and that there are three districts headquartered at Martin County State Forest, Jackson County State Forest, and Indianapolis.
Above: Not sure which tower is pictured above, but it’s near water which is rare. (Ouabache is possible; that tower is pretty close to a lake. Lincoln isn’t far from a lake either, but I think it’s up on a ridge and much higher than this picture shows, so I don’t think it’s Lincoln.)
Winamac tower was completed in 1940.
An article in January 1941 OI about the Division of Forestry mentions that from 1933 to 1940 “the number of fire towers has been increased from 10 to 29“.
Forest Fire Fighters Service (FFFS) is founded around 1942 as a result of manpower shortage caused by the war, enlisting high school children to help fight fires.
An article in the February 1948 OI mentions that new towers are to be built “as soon as steel is available.” The same article mentions that less than 15 percent of the state’s area is covered by forests.
An article in the December 1948 OI mentions that “twenty-four fire towers are operated”. That’s a smaller number than the number of towers constructed according to articles before World War II.
Cataract tower was constructed in 1949.
1950s
May 1950 Outdoor Indiana article mentions that FM radio sets have been installed at the fire towers at McCormick’s Creek and Morgan-Monroe.
Above: This June 1951 article highlights the cooperation between fire-spotting planes and towermen, and the use of two-way FM radios.
A December 1952 OI article says that the US Forest Service will begin land purchases in the Lost River and Patoka Units of Hoosier National Forest.
Above: This tower is unlabeled in this August 1957 OI article.
The 1959 state fair is said to have a fire tower replica, according to an August 1959 OI article. This would be more than 20 years of having such a display at the fair.
July 1959 four-page story
The four pages below are from a July 1959 OI article, showing a tower, tower tools, and an Osborne fire finder. The article is interesting. The pictures are said to be taken at “Wyandotte Fire Tower, Jackson-Harrison State Forest”. However, the tower on page 1 is the same as a picture of Paoli Fire Tower from 1962, and can’t be Wyandotte because the stairs aren’t the same as the actual tower. And there was never a forest called Jackson-Harrison State Forest; that must be a typo; those two counties don’t even touch each other.
1960s
Above: This OI article from January 1960 says there are 13 state towers in District 3, augmented by half a dozen towers on US government property, and lists these “state towers”:
In 1964, there were 13 state forests. There were 21 properties managed by the state parks division.
A February 1965 OI articles states that “There are 24 fire towers manned for fire detection during the fire season. Twenty-three of these are in the southern part of the state, and one is at the Jasper-Pulaski Game Farm in the northern part. Fifteen towers are equipped with two-way radios for quick dispatch of crews to a fire. The other towers have only a telephone for dispatching of fire crews.”
1967 OI story about Clarissie Carroll and Georgia
The following is four pages from a November 1967 Outdoor Indiana story about Clarissie Carroll, the Georgia/Bryantsville tower, and the 1964 Georgia fire.
A May 1968 OI story says that there are 22 towers.
1970s
Georgia tower was dismantled in 1972. DNR was only staffing 10 towers in 1972. (from Outdoor Indiana May-June 2013 article.)
In this July-August 1978 OI article, the lookout towers are described as a “recreational activity or facility”. By this time, few if any of the towers are still being used for fire detection.
Towers listed include:
Parks: Brown County, Lincoln, McCormick’s Creek, Ouabache, Pokagon (?!), and Tippecanoe River;
Forests: Clark, Ferdinand, Greene-Sullivan, Harrison-Crawford, Jackson-Washington, Martin, Morgan-Monroe, and Pike.
What’s NOT listed with a tower — presumably because they have been taken down by this time: Versailles, Jasper-Pulaski.
1980s-2020s
The history by this point concerns itself with rehabs of towers.
Outdoor Indiana May-June 2013 issue had a cover story about the state’s historic fire towers.
State Park history
This is a great list of when the state parks were founded, although it leaves off parks that no longer exist like Muscatatuck State Park among others.