National Register of Historic Places Registration Form

NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. 1. Name of Property Historic name: _Whitetail Airway Beacon_______________________________________ Other names/site number: _24JF2093___________________________________________ Name of related multiple property listing: __ Sentinels of the Airways: Montana’s Airway Beacon System, 1934-1979____________ (Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing ____________________________________________________________________________ 2. Location Street & number: About 16 miles north of the community of Whitehall in Jefferson County City or town: Whitehall State: __MT_______ County: _Jefferson Not For Publication: Vicinity: X ____________________________________________________________________________ 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this X nomination ___ request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property _X_ meets ___ does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: ___national _X_statewide ___local Applicable National Register Criteria: _X A ___B _X_C ___D Signature of certifying official/Title: Date ______________________________________________ State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria. Signature of commenting official: Date Title : State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government ______________________________________________________________________________ 1 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Whitetail Airway Beacon Jefferson County, Montana Name of Property County and State 4. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this property is: entered in the National Register determined eligible for the National Register determined not eligible for the National Register removed from the National Register other (explain:) _____________________ ______________________________________________________________________ Signature of the Keeper Date of Action ____________________________________________________________________________ 5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply.) Private: Public – Local Public – State X Public – Federal X Category of Property (Check only one box.) Building(s) District Site Structure X Object Sections 1-6 page 2 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Whitetail Airway Beacon Jefferson County, Montana Name of Property County and State Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count) Contributing Noncontributing _____ _______ _____________ buildings ____ _______ _____________ sites _____1_______ ______0______ structures _____________ _____________ objects _____1_______ ______0________ Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register ____2____ ____________________________________________________________________________ 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) _TRANSPORTATION/air-related=navigational aid ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) _TRANSPORTATION/air-related=navigational aid_ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Sections 1-6 page 3 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Whitetail Airway Beacon Jefferson County, Montana Name of Property County and State _____________________________________________________________________________ 7. Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions.) _No Style___________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Materials: (enter categories from instructions.) Principal exterior materials of the property: METAL: Steel, CONCRETE Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance and condition of the property. Describe contributing and noncontributing resources if applicable. Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, type, style, method of construction, setting, size, and significant features. Indicate whether the property has historic integrity.) ______________________________________________________________________________ Summary Paragraph The Whitetail Airway Beacon consists of one contributing resource: the nighttime airway beacon tower supporting a rotating beacon. It sits at the summit of an unnamed mountain overlooking the Whitetail Valley and Little Whitetail Creek about sixteen miles north of the community of Whitehall in Jefferson County. The beacon is accessed via a branch of Hay Canyon Road, in turn accessed from Montana Secondary 399 (Whitetail Road). The beacon is accessible by foot from the terminus of the road after a steep climb. The beacon sits on land owned by the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest and when in operation, was maintained by the Montana Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Division. Erected in 1935, the beacon served as part of an historic system of lighted beacons that provided guidance to aircraft pilots as they flew north and south across Montana at night. A component of the National Parks Airway route between Salt Lake City and Great Falls, Montana, the Whitetail Airway Beacon functioned as a critical part of the route in Montana. A metal-framed platform with a wood deck surmounts the 25-foot steel tower and provides access to the revolving beacon at the top. Formerly powered by a gasoline-fueled generator, the beacon was later connected to a transmission line. Because of fire concerns, however, the power line was removed in 2018; the beacon is currently dark. The generator and fuel tank were removed from the site sometime after 1946. The beacon retains a Section 7 page 4 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Whitetail Airway Beacon Jefferson County, Montana Name of Property County and State high level of all aspects of integrity including the unchanged setting since the beacon’s construction in 1935. ______________________________________________________________________________ Narrative Description The Whitetail Airway Beacon sits atop an unnamed mountain at an elevation of 6,189 feet. It overlooks Little Whitetail Creek and the Whitetail Valley to the east and the foothills bordering Hay Creek to the south. The Elkhorn Mountains stretch to the north and south of the beacon with Bull Mountain dominating the view scape to the east. A dirt road lies to the west, but direct vehicular access is not possible. The vantage of the Whitetail Airway Beacon features spectacular views of the Whitetail Valley and the Jefferson River valley to the south along with views of the Elkhorn Mountains to the north and south. The property occupies a half-acre of land managed by the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest on which MDT has held a Special Use Permit since 1935.1 Whitetail Airway Beacon Tower (one contributing structure) The Whitetail Airway Beacon consists of a beacon surmounted on a steel tower at an elevation of 6,194 feet. The 25-foot tower, likely fabricated by the Jones & McLaughlin Steel Company, is comprised of angle sections bolted at the connections, and measures 5-foot 10-inch square at the base with each corner resting on a buried concrete footing. A single steel guy cable attaches to the northwest corner of the tower at approximately two-thirds of its height. The tower tapers to 2 x 2 feet at its top and supports a 7 x 7-foot wood platform on which the beacon rests. A narrow steel ladder attaches to the east elevation of the tower and extends to the platform; a steel cable ascends vertically with the ladder. An opening in the platform floor provides access at the top of the ladder. An angle section railing approximately, 4 feet in height, encloses the platform and a lightning rod projects from its northwest corner. All tower elements are painted silver, the platform and beacon elements are painted orange. The revolving beacon sits atop a steel pedestal that houses the wiring. A Lexan

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