Suntop Lookout, Forest Road 510, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Greenwater, Pierce County, WA

Significance: Suntop Lookout is an element of a National Register thematic group, "USDA Forest Service Fire Lookouts on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest." This group of eight lookouts is associated with the historical development of the Forest Service, as a component of a comprehensive forest fire detection system which protected forest resources for over 25 years. The establishment of a network of elevated lookout stations between 1915 and 1940 significantly increased the area of forest which could be routinely observed for signs of fire, and speeded the dispatch of suppression forces. Lookouts in the thematic group also embody the distinctive characteristics of a building type designed for and constructed in challenging mountain environments. Suntop Lookout is an example of the 1932 revision of the Pacific Northwest Region L-4 lookout plan. It is one of five in the thematic group constructed according to this plan. The plan featured short pre-cut structural elements, to facilitate transport by pack string, and uniform millwork and finish materials, to facilitate construction by crews of variable ability. Suntop is also one of three lookouts in the thematic group utilized by the World War II-era Army Aircraft Warning Service and is thus associated with the war effort. The Aircraft Warning Service staffed lookouts around the clock, 365 days a year, posing challenges to the logistical and communications systems of the Forest Service.
Survey number: HABS WA-190
Building/structure dates: 1933 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: ca. 1966 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: ca. 1978 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1988 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1989 Subsequent Work
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 87001192