In 1988, a thematic group nomination of lookout towers built from 1905 to 1942 on National Forest land in New Mexico and Arizona was submitted by Peter L. Steer for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. Among the lookouts studied were Mon Jeau and the Ruidoso Tower. The latter tower, located in town yet easily overlooked, is unique on several fronts both for its architecture and use.

(As a matter of disclosure, the writer worked the Ruidoso Tower as a lookout in the late 1990s and early 2000s.)

According to the nomination, there is only one other Aermotor MI-25 tower in the Southwestern Region. The Aermotor Company was located in Chicago and started out making windmills and tanks beginning in 1888. Entering into the business of pre-fab steel lookout towers, it went on to become a major supplier of lookout towers. In the Southwest, over 50 percent of towers were built by Aermotor from the 1920s through the 1960s.

Fixed lookout points around the turn of the 20^th century typically consisted of a map mounted to a board at a point with good visibility. In some cases, platforms were built in a tall tree with spikes or boards nailed into the trunk. Forest Service personnel traveled to and up these high points while on patrol, marking smokes on the map and then reporting them to the local office. Often lookout trees were used to monitor larger fires or to anticipate spot fires. Some of these sites were used well into the 1950s.

Eventually more permanent observation towers were built, many near already established lookout points. Local materials were used and designs taken from oil and railroad construction were applied. Several towers were built as cupolas on the ground and incorporated a hip or gable roof with heavy shutters. Other towers used a 14’ by 14’ cab atop metal towers where lookout operators could live.

The Ruidoso Tower was one such tower. Built in 1940, it has room for a small cot, a propane heater and a crude refrigerator consisting of a hatch built into the wood floor accessing a large box where perishables and ice were stored (the melted ice then dripped down to the ground). In the center of the square room sits an Osborne fire finder. A circular turning board with mounted sights is used to pinpoint a smoke. A topographic map under a piece of glass is then used to determine a legal description that could be radioed in.

Some lookouts on the Gila Wilderness are still live-in towers, but the Ruidoso Tower is not. Hours are typically 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., unless it is necessary to monitor an existing fire. The tower is property of the U.S. Forest Service, but, for many years, volunteers or Village of Ruidoso staff worked there. If a fire was spotted on the forest or on the reservation, one radio was used; a fire in the village limits or on county property was reported directly to the Ruidoso Fire Department or county dispatch using a different radio. When a smoke was detected on one of these areas, the reading was transferred to a village road map and the location reported would be street intersections rather than township, range and section.

There is the added difference of time when reporting a village fire versus one started in the forest. Since a fire can take off in seconds, it is more important for the Ruidoso Fire Department to start rolling towards a general area than to wait for an exact location. “Smoke report. Upper Canyon” might be the first transmission to be followed by the more precise street intersection.

In a perfect situation, another lookout tower will also see the smoke and can relay its reading and a very precise location based on triangulation can be recorded.

Today, the U. S. Forest Service is responsible for the Ruidoso Tower. It was painted last year and is routinely maintained. The large wood shutters were removed and replaced by Plexiglas, the windows must occasionally be replaced and the deteriorating wood must be patched. During particularly dry periods, red flag days or busy times, a U.S. Forest Service employee looks out for smokes.

According to Anthony M. Sanchez, District Fire Management Officer, the area is frequently used by other organizations practicing high altitude rescues and wilderness safety techniques. Although the public is not allowed into the cab or on the catwalk, the land under the tower is part of the Lincoln National Forest and is accessible by foot up a dirt trail from the parking lot located off Lookout Drive.

The use of lookouts has been on the decline for several reasons including public reporting, the use of planes to patrol, the cost of maintenance and technological advances such as lighting and satellite detection systems. Some unused lookouts have been scheduled for demolition due to liability and subsequent wilderness designations.

The Ruidoso Tower has a particular significance that extends past its architectural significance. Even though many areas are not visible (Dude Mesa to the south, Gavilan Mesa to the north and Moon Mountain to the east are all higher than the tower making spotting early smokes in those directions difficult), it is the only tower with direct views into Upper, Brady and, to a lesser degree, Cedar Creek Canyons. Its position directly above mid-town makes it an excellent vantage point for visiting fire crews to assess the lay of the land and to determine possible fire management tactics. Its primary use, however, is as a fire detection tool. While the public may smell smoke, it can be difficult to pinpoint a fire, especially given the many ridgelines and steep topography of the area.

The cooperation among the U.S. Forest, the Mescalero Apache Tribe and the Village of Ruidoso Fire Department is sealed through the interactions of each agency and their lookouts. Shared radio transmissions and commitments to respond to fires regardless of territorial boundaries are now commonplace, even as at least one way of detecting fire is fundamentally the same as it was in the 1940s.