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Pinedale Online > News > September 2016 > Work continues on Deadline Ridge Fire Lookout restoration project

New windows and door. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
New windows and door
The door and eleven of the fifteen windows have been restored and replaced in the Deadline Ridge Fire Lookout in the Wyoming Range.

Cleaning windows. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Cleaning windows
Dave Vlcek works to clean putty off of the newly rebuilt windows.

Tracing the 8. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Tracing the 8
Clint Gilchrist traces the number 8 onto clear plastic to create a template for repainting after the roof is primed.
Work continues on Deadline Ridge Fire Lookout restoration project
by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online!
September 8, 2016

For the past several years, members of the Sublette County Historic Preservation Board (Certified Local Government – CLG) have been working on a volunteer project to restore a Forest Service fire lookout tower on Deadline Ridge in the Wyoming Range. In August 2015 they spent two weekends cleaning out the building, removing the old windows, shutters and door, and painting the outside of the building.

Over the past year, Richard Kail has been repairing the damaged windows and Bob Beiermann has repaired and restored the door. On Sunday, Sept. 4th, the crew went back up to reinstall the restored windows and door. More work still needs to be done to repair two broken windows and replace two missing windows. Three unfinished sides remain covered by boards. The complete south side is uncovered at the moment showing the restored windows and doors. They will be covered by a board for winter protection. The volunteer crew hopes the weather holds so they can go back up to prime paint the roof and put back the large number "8" that was on the south side for airplane sighting. Members of the Sublette County Historic Preservation Board CLG are Clint Gilchrist, Dave Vlcek, Bob Beiermann, Carmel Kail, Sam Drucker, Jonita Sommers and Dawn Ballou.

A new interpretive display has been put up in the Green River Valley Museum about the fire lookout and its history. The lookout sits at about 10,000 feet elevation and was built sometime in the early 1940s. It was used into the 1960s and perhaps early 1970s, after which all the fire lookout towers on the Bridger-Teton National Forest (BTNF) were abandoned and replaced by newer technology. Only a few lookouts remain still standing on the BTNF.

The Bridger-Teton National Forest has assisted with this project and provided supplies and administrative support. Special thanks to Jamie Schoen, JP Schubert and Mary Greenwood for their help. If anyone has any information or old photos related to this lookout, please contact any of the board members or email info@sublette.com.



Related Links
  • Deadline Ridge Fire Lookout restoration project - Pinedale Online, August 17, 2015
  • Deadline Ridge Fire Lookout Project: Clean It, Fix It, Paint It - Sublette County Historic Preservation Board, January 2015 (PDF)

  • Ready for new windows. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Ready for new windows
    Getting ready to put in the newly restored windows and door on the south side.

    Before windows. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Before windows

    Putting in the restored door. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Putting in the restored door
    Bob Beiermann reinstalls the door. He spent many hours over the past year carefully repairing and rebuilding the door for this restoration project.

    Bringing in windows. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Bringing in windows
    The restored windows are brought back into the lookout. Pictured are (L to R: Sam Drucker, Bob Beiermann, Clint Gilchrist.

    Bringing in a window. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Bringing in a window
    Sam Drucker brings in one of the restored windows.

    Putting in window #3. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Putting in window #3
    All the windows were numbered when removed, restored, and put back in their original locations in the lookout. Richard Kail spent many hours painstakingly rebuilding the windows and replacing broken glass.

    Cleaning windows. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Cleaning windows
    Sam Drucker cleans window panes before the windows are reinstalled.

    Window cleaning. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Window cleaning
    Eleven of the 15 windows have been restored and replaced. Pictured here are (L to R) Clint Gilchrist and Bob Beiermann cleaning window panes before putting the window back in place.

    Removing putty. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Removing putty
    All of the windows needed restoration, new putty, replacing some missing or broken windows. This work took hours and was carefully done by Richard Kail.

    Window work. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Window work
    Sam Drucker works on cleaning up one of the windows inside the lookout. Little did the crew know, but this was the same day and time that a tornado was brewing several miles north of them near Merna. It was cold and windy as usual for up there, but not too bad. Their view to the north was blocked by that side still being boarded up, so they luckily missed that whole weather event.

    Lookout work. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Lookout work
    Clint Gilchrist traces the 8 on the south side of the lookout roof. Once the roof is primed, it will be painted green and the 8 will be in white. Last year, Bob Beiermann repaired and replaced missing shingles to fix the roof.

    Tracing 8. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Tracing 8
    Clint Gilchrist traces the #8 that was on the roof so a pattern can be made to repaint it.

    Cleaning and installing windows. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Cleaning and installing windows
    (L to R): Clint Gilchrist, Sam Drucker and Bob Beiermann work to reinstall the windows of the restored lookout.

    Adjusting door fitting. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Adjusting door fitting
    Bob Beiermann adjusts the fitting for the door.

    Rasping. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Rasping
    Bob Beiermann rasps a high point on the threshold for the door for better fitting.

    Lookout display. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Lookout display
    At the Green River Valley Museum

    Lookout display. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Lookout display
    At the Green River Valley Museum.

    Deadline on the map. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Deadline on the map
    Pinedale Online > News > September 2016 > Work continues on Deadline Ridge Fire Lookout restoration project

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