Fallen Black Butte Tower receives grant

The collapsed Black Butte Tower will be salvaged.

Ice and snow may have toppled the historic fire lookout atop Black Butte but, thanks to a grant from the Samuel S. Johnson Foundation, the story of the 1934 tower is not quite over yet.

The grant of $5,000 is designated "to salvage, sort, archive and assess the ruins of Black Butte Tower."

Maret Pajutee, Ecologist for the Sisters Ranger District, explained that the foundation's participation means much more than the face value of the grant.

"Partnerships are important because they raise the priority of a project," she said. "Thanks to this partnership, we were able to get more internal funding, so it's helping us already."

The foundation is named for the late Samuel S. Johnson, long-time Central Oregon businessman and political figure.

Speaking for the organization, administrator Mary Krenowicz, said that last year the private, family foundation gave approximately $750,000 in small grants to Oregon programs for local historical preservation, arts and cultural outreach, domestic violence prevention and basic social service organizations.

Foundation President Elizabeth H. "Becky" Johnson summed up the group's interest by saying, "Since our foundation has supported many projects in the Metolius Basin since 1947, including maintaining the old tower as an historic landmark, it is only natural that we would want to participate in the salvage and use of the ruins that will preserve the history of the Metolius River Basin and Camp Sherman."

Pajutee, herself a former lookout on the old tower, is pleased to see that steps are being taken to preserve the history of the site.

"This is the first step to see what is salvageable or potentially recyclable," she said, "or if there are historic building parts for use here or in historic lookouts elsewhere."

The wreckage site has been fenced off to keep the public at a safe distance.

"It's broken glass and guy wires everywhere," Pajutee cautioned.

She said the wreckage is extremely unstable and dangerous.

"When we get it stabilized and on the ground, then we'll see what we have," Pajutee said. "Archaeologist Don Zettel is going up there since this is a historic building and its condition has changed.

"We're required by law to document that change, so Don will be documenting the site in its current condition before we do anything."

Pajutee also warned against removing anything from the site.

"Please don't carry anything off," she said. "It's against the law and just like pillaging an archaeological site."

The tower was built in 1934 by a crew from the Civilian Conservation Corps.

The 20-foot sections of lumber used as the primary building components were hauled to the summit two at a time, each pair of ends strapped to the sides of a horse.

With the long loads of lumber suspended between two horses, negotiating some of the tight switchbacks on the trail required some experienced horsemanship.

Pajutee estimated that approximately 1,000 trips were necessary to haul all the building materials to the summit.

The apparently-justified 1990 condemnation of the 1934 tower brought the tower's service to an end after 56 years. The older cupola was temporarily placed back in service until the present tower was completed in 1994.

Pajutee said that, when the structure was condemned, engineers estimated that it might stand for another 10-30 years. It lasted 11. The tower suffered from deteriorated braces and stairs, and the cab was also in a state of decay.

The tremendous weight of winter snow and ice -- coupled with high winds -- finally exceeded the tower's ability to support the load.

Funds were never available to preserve the site intact; but, now that it's down, every effort will be made to preserve what historical integrity remains.

Pajutee suggested that some of the salvaged material could possibly be retained for an on-site display, or preserved for other historical and interpretive exhibits.

Portions may also be salvaged to help restore other lookout towers from the same period.

"We're still in the process of seeing who wants it," Pajutee said. "There's been interest from people who are rebuilding lookouts. It's not often that a lookout parts store opens."