1066 - Tri-Point Fire Tower
This photo shows the Tri-Point Fire Tower in southeastern Montana, a tall steel lookout structure built for wildfire detection. The tower rises high above the prairie landscape, featuring a zig-zagging staircase leading to an enclosed observation cab at the top, once used to spot smoke and monitor fire activity across the surrounding region. It stands as both a historic and functional landmark of forest management.
While fire lookouts date back to the 19th century, their popularity as a form of fire detection surged after the Great Fire of 1910, which charred three million acres in Washington, northern Idaho, and western Montana. Between 1910 and the onset of World War II, thousands of lookout towers were constructed by the US Forest Service and other land management agencies, including roughly 650 towers in Montana alone. Some were built on stilts to provide a view over nearby pines, while others were constructed directly on high ground. Most lookouts are nothing more than a one-room cabin complete with a bed, a stove, and a desk.
The tri-point fire tower was one such tower erected in Montana. Rising 60 feet above the landscape, it was built in 1936. A primitive log cabin served as home base for the fire lookout. It was constructed by the civilian conservation corps and is the easternmost firetower in Montana. The steel tower has not been utilized in decades. Approximately 135 of nearly 650 fire towers in Montana remain standing today, and some are even rented out for overnight stays by the Forest Service for those seeking rustic accommodations. There are only a dozen staffed fire towers left in the treasure state.