Stub Creek Day 2

---

Again we slept in this morning. We awoke to a cloudy and cooler morning today in Stub Creek. Our goal today was to find Deadman’s fire watch tower. The summer I worked at a Stub Creek I made the decision to work through the fall after my trail crew members went back to school. The first of September the Ranger, his family, and most of the maintenance crews return to Fort Collins for the winter. My goal was to enlist in the Navy by the end of the year so my decision to stay at Stub Creek was an easy one. I was on my own most of the time with my own little Jeep and access to the Dodge fire truck used for fighting small brush fire until the main fire fighters showed up. I certain jobs I had to do every day. The first was to check and record the readings from our little weather station. I took the readings to the office and using the fire danger book I calculated the fire danger and then radioed into Fort Collins my findings. We did have a phone at Stub Creek in those days (1966). After my report was finished I had to radio and check in the Landry in the fire watch tower at Deadman’s tower. It was to make sure the watch was still OK and that there weren’t any fire sightings. After that I was off in my little Jeep to accomplish what ever tasks the Ranger had assigned me for that day, but during the day every 1 1/2 I had to drive back to the office and radio Deadman for any updates. One problem is that I was constantly interrupting my work and secondly the lady in the tower must have been lonely cause I couldn’t get her off the radio so I could go back to work. Well to tell the truth I never knew where the hell Deadman’s tower was located. Just a voice on the radio. So today I wanted to see where it was. I located it on the map and we started drive. It is actually located about 20 miles away on dirt roads at 11,000 feet. I found it and climbed to the top. It is still occupied by a guy who volunteers with several other people. I spent some time in the tower with him telling him my story of calling Deadman 50 years ago, but I don’t think he really gave a damn. Anyway I finally climbed in the tower I communicated with so many years ago. So you ask the name of lady in tower in 1966, I just can’t remember.

---

Comments

[Penny Musante]

Tower
Loved seeing these pics. Stairs brought back memories of som volunteers & I carrying my students to the top at a Tower near Sly Park where we were at camp. Then we held them up to see because we didn’t take the wheelchairs up!! As I see your pictures, I wonder what I could have been thinking?? Always wanted for them to experience what we can.??