The Lady Lookouts

In 1913 a ranger in California reported his top choice for a fire lookout post was "no gentleman." He hoped his supervisor's heart could stand the shock of the novel idea of hiring a woman. Hallie Daggett knew the country, was good with a horse and rifle, and unafraid of anything that walked, crept, or flew. She got the job and served admirably for 15 years as the first woman lookout in the country.

For decades working in the forest was seen as a man's world. After the Forest Service was created in 1905, many men worked in remote stations, often with wives who worked alongside their husbands f...