United States Department of Agriculture Fire Lookout History of the Santa Fe National Forest Santa Fe April Forest Service National Forest 2017 Cover. Barillas Lookout North Patrol Point, Melvin Fitzgerald, Assistant Ranger (mid-1950s, archeology binder 53, no. 5590, Santa Fe National Forest Supervisor’s Office) Fire Lookout History of the Santa Fe National Forest Barbara Zinn Barillas Fire Lookout, Santa Fe National Forest Prepared for Santa Fe National Forest Fire Management Program 11 Forest Lane Santa Fe, New Mexico 87508 Report No. R2017031000012 (Manuscript on File, Supervisor’s Office, Santa Fe National Forest, Heritage Program) Table of Contents List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................... vi List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................... ix Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................x Introduction ................................................................................................................................................1 Previous Research on Santa Fe National Forest Lookouts .....................................................................1 Terminology .............................................................................................................................................2 Information Sources .................................................................................................................................3 Part I—Chronological Development of the Lookout Program .............................................................6 Establishment of the Santa Fe National Forest ........................................................................................6 First Lookout Points .................................................................................................................................6 Initial Development of Named Lookouts: the Trial-and-Error Period ....................................................8 Early Lookout Improvements .................................................................................................................10 Lookouts “On Top” in the 1920s ...........................................................................................................11 Cliff Cities National Park Proposals ......................................................................................................13 The New Deal Years ..............................................................................................................................13 Seen-Area Mapping Revisited ...............................................................................................................15 World War II ..........................................................................................................................................19 Post-War Years ......................................................................................................................................19 The 1950s and 1960s ..............................................................................................................................20 1970s to Present .....................................................................................................................................22 Summary of Factors in Lookout Abandonment .....................................................................................23 The Value of Staffed Lookouts Today ...................................................................................................27 Part II—Components of the Forest Lookout Program .......................................................................32 Cooperative Agreements .......................................................................................................................32 Firefinders On the Forest .......................................................................................................................33 Unusual Lookout Styles on the Santa Fe ..............................................................................................35 Lookout Lifestyles and Family ............................................................................................................35 The Lookout Season ..............................................................................................................................36 i Part III—Histories of Individual Lookouts ...........................................................................................40 Coyote District ......................................................................................................................................41 Early Patrol Routes .............................................................................................................................42 Capulin ...............................................................................................................................................42 Cerro Pelon (south).............................................................................................................................43 Cerro Valdez .......................................................................................................................................43 Encino .................................................................................................................................................46 North Point .........................................................................................................................................48 Laguna Peak .......................................................................................................................................49 Mesa Alta............................................................................................................................................49 Pedernal ..............................................................................................................................................49 Cuba District .........................................................................................................................................53 Early Patrol Routes .............................................................................................................................54 Bluebird/Horse Canyon ......................................................................................................................54 Cuba Mesa ..........................................................................................................................................55 Deadman .............................................................................................................................................58 Gallina Mountain/ Gallina Peak .........................................................................................................62 Eureka Mesa .......................................................................................................................................62 Mud Spring .........................................................................................................................................63 Red Top ..............................................................................................................................................65 Additional Sites ..................................................................................................................................70 Española District ..................................................................................................................................75 Cooperative Agreements Driving Lookout Development ..................................................................76 Aspen Peak .........................................................................................................................................77 Atalaya ................................................................................................................................................77 Borrego Mesa/ Cerro Negro ...............................................................................................................77 Chicoma ..............................................................................................................................................78 Clara Peak ...........................................................................................................................................79 Guaje Mountain ..................................................................................................................................82 ii Lake (Penitente) Peak .........................................................................................................................83 Polvadera Peak ...................................................................................................................................85 Rinconada and the Dome....................................................................................................................85 Santa Fe Baldy ....................................................................................................................................86 Tree 73 / Cerro Pelon