Indiana Fire Towers (by Mark A)

Ouabache

Information

Names: Ouabache

Location: Ouabache State Park , previously known as Ouabache State Recreation Area, and before that the Wells County State Forest and Game Preserve

County: Wells (the only one in this county)

Topo quad: Linn Grove

Condition: Standing, climbable, recently restored

Maps

Linn Grove topo quad, 1962

Links

Living New Deal page for Ouabache State Park Lookout Tower

Ouabache State Park map

Data

Latitude: 40.722866

Longitude: -85.106516

History

The tower is still standing in 2023.

Below: These are three of the pages from a November 1978 article about Ouabache SRA (as it was then known). Two pages have a photo from the tower. Page 8 mentions the tower “no longer utilized for fire watching”, and has a map that strangely leaves out the tower.

Outdoor Indiana November 1978 page 6, story about Ouabache SRA, with left half of panoramic photo from tower
Outdoor Indiana November 1978 page 7, story about Ouabache SRA, with right half of panoramic photo from tower
Outdoor Indiana November 1978 page 8, story about Ouabache SRA, with paragraph about tower, and map without tower
Outdoor Indiana May 1986 page 34, story about Ouabache park manager, with picture from fire tower
Outdoor Indiana May 1986 page 37, story about Ouabache park manager, with paragraph about tower

The tower was closed in 2015 and needed to be repaired. Fundraising for the renovation happened around 2012. 2017 Indiana Landmarks story.

Its IDNR dedication event was in August 2019.