Photo: Olson Firetower - 100 Foot Tower
Download a High Resolution JPEG Image of the Olson Firetower - 100 Foot Tower or an Adobe Acrobat Printable PDF of the Olson Firetower - 100 Foot Tower.
Olson Firetower - 100 Foot Tower ...
Back in the 1963, the Forest Service ran into a problem with their 60-foot Backbone Mountain Firetower, constructed in 1922 by State of West Virginia.The trees had grown too tall around the tower, and it was decided to scrap the 40-year old tower and replace it with a 100 foot Aermotor tower, with the ability to climb to the roof of the tower via a ladder for even better views (!!) Aermotor offered towers up to 175 feet.
The Forest Service bought a 100 foot tower, name Olson Firetower, to put on the mountain, which is still an impressive height as the tallest fire-tower in New York State is only 70 foot (Wakely Mountain). It's a good climb for sure at 30 feet higher then Wakely and is 133 steps to the cabin.
The circa-1963 Olson Tower is named after Ernst B. Olson in recognition of 28 years of fire control and conservation program service to Monongahela National Forest.
Taken on Thursday October 26, 2023 at Olson Firetower.
More about Olson Firetower...
The Olson Firetower was built in 1922 by the state of West Virginia, Backbone Mountain was the original site of the state's very first fire tower. Subsequently, it was transferred to the Monongahela National Forest and remained in service until 1963 when it was replaced.
Perched atop the mountain, Olson Tower offers visitors the chance to ascend 133 steps for awe-inspiring panoramic views. While the cabin at the top is not accessible to the public, you're welcome to climb up to just below it. From this vantage point, you can behold breathtaking vistas of Parsons town, the Blackwater Canyon, Otter Creek Wilderness, Canaan Mountain, and the Cheat River watershed.
Olson Tower can be found on Backbone Mountain in Tucker County, reaching an elevation of approximately 3,736 feet above sea level. Accessible for most of the year via a dirt road, the area also features a variety of trails, including the 3-mile-long Canyon Rim Trail #117, which begins just 0.1 miles below the picnic area, and the 4.1-mile Limerock Trail #142, located along Forest Road 18.
... photos, maps and other content from from Olson Firetower.
No Comments
Andy, great article. I have been to both this tower and Wakely as well as 54 others, and out of all of them, Olson is my favorite, and Wakely isn’t far behind. You mentioned that Olson tower is an Aermotor, which as far as I am aware, is unconfirmed. If you have a source that confirms that, I would actually love to see it, because I’ve been trying to figure it out myself for a while, as I am working on a documentary about fire towers, and I want my information to be correct. From what I’ve researched, the tower is actually an International Derrick Model 1937 Fire Tower. That is just what other records say. There is a lot of confusion when it comes to fire towers and their models/manufacturers, even within New York state. There is a possibility that this tower may be an Aermotor MC-99, which shares an identical design to the IDECO Model 1937, but the only way to confirm is by part numbers. If there is a letter followed by numbers for the part labeling, it is an Aermotor, but if the letter comes after the numbers, it is an IDECO. I have been to this tower four times now and I have neglected to look closely for part numbers. The next time I go out there it is my plan to do so. There aren’t any confirmed Aermotor MC-99 towers on the east coast as far as I am aware of. The only potential one according to my research is Venison Hill in Western NY, but it is located on an Indian Reservation, and would require a bushwhack on top of permission to visit.