oldtowers12

Ontario Fire Towers

Here was one of the 1st towers ever used in Ontario. It was built on top of this big old white pine at Smoke Lake in the SW corner of Algonquin Park. I am scared just looking at this photo. Yes, yours truly is afraid of heights!! courtesy: MNR. The next two were taken by Gary Long in 1999. This same tower's platform and ladder was built on this 80 foot tree in the 1920's by the ranger who patrolled the area by canoe. In the 1970's lightning blew off the top and the tree died. Some debris remains and of course the bottom part of the ladder is still intact.

The first steel tower built in Algonquin park was in 1922. This is one of them called 'Skymount', and it was one of eight that made up the park's system. These towers were extremely remote and the only people the towerman would get to see were either campers or canoeists. This tower wasn't put in a well-planned site due to it's having blind spots. It was later used sparingly until it was removed in the late 1950's. At one point two men were used to man it, working on shifts. Below is the Summit Tower also in Algonquin Park, which was the tallest wooden fire tower built in Ontario at 102 ft. Built by ranger Tom McCormick in the 1920s by the summit of the old Booth Railway at Hunter Twp. It was located close to the nearby sawmill village of Brule Lake. It was located at the height-of-land between the Georgian Bay and Ottawa River drainage systems, so it would have had an awesome view.