Gilson Mountain Fire Tower In Fletcher

[Henry]

As a youngster, I remember when the Fire Tower off the Howrigan Road, between the Howrigan Farm and Lapland was in operation - I used to go and visit my Aunt & Uncle and we could see the tower which didn't appear to be much more than a mile or so away.  It is listed in the Vermont Fire Tower Book at:

http://www.firelookout.org/towers/vt/vermont.htm

Does anybody know anything about it or how to get to it or if there is anything left of it??

It definitely is a piece of History up there in Fletcher on what was known as Gilson Mountain

[Henry]

In case you are wondering what a Fire Tower is, although I have never been up to the one on Gilson Mountain in Fletcher, It looked like a little cabin with glass all around it on top of a tower -

A fire lookout tower, fire tower or lookout tower, provides housing and protection for a person known as a "fire lookout" whose duty it is to search for fire in the wilderness. The fire lookout tower is a small building usually located on the summit of a mountain, or other high vantage point in order to maximize the viewing distance and range, known as view shed. From this vantage point the fire lookout can see any trace of smoke that may develop, determine the location by using a device known as an Osborne Fire Finder, and call fire suppression personnel to the fire.

The typical fire lookout tower consists of a small room, known as a cab located atop a large steel, or wooden tower, however sometimes natural rock may be used to create a lower platform. In some cases, the terrain makes it possible so there is no need for an additional tower and these are known as ground cabs. Ground cabs are called towers even if they don't have a tower to sit upon.

Although many fire lookout have fallen into disuse as a result of neglect, abandonment, and declining budgets, some fire service personnel have made an effort to preserve older fire towers, arguing that a good set of human eyes watching the forest for wildfire can be an effective and cheap fire safety measure.

Below is a photo of what the tower on Gilson Mountain might have looked like back in the 1940s: