Wilderness Tower Site, East of intersection of Missouri Highways 13 & 86, Lampe, Stone County, MO

Significance: The Wilderness Tower Site is a Civilian Conservation Corps-built, U.S. Forest Service fire lookout station which included a 100-foot, standard plan, steel lookout tower, in addition to a towerman's dwelling and associated outbuildings. The tower site is significant in its association with President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal program to put young men to work reclaiming and developing the nation's natural resources. The site reflects the program's contributions to relief, recovery, and reform. The Wilderness Tower Site was a key element in the Forest Service fire protection system, and is a physical reminder of the importance of fire detection and suppression in U.S. Forest Service land and resource management policies. It is also a reminder of the success of federal resource renewal and protection efforts in Missouri's forests. The Wilderness Tower Site embodies the evolution of a distinct architectural style which came to be characterized by standardized U.S. Forest Service plans as a result of specific functional requirements related to fire detection.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N765
Survey number: HABS MO-1913
Building/structure dates: ca. 1937- ca. 1939 Initial Construction