The Washington herald., 1914-04-12
WOMAN'S lone
FOREST Vigil
Lived Alone in Mountain
Peak as Lookout for
Five Months.
KEPT WATCH FOR FIRES
Wild Animals Her Companions and
Telephone Means of Communica-
ton with Rest of World.

| NO woman VINO did not passionately
love the forests and hate the destroying
| fires which menaced them could have en-
dured the loneliness Of the five months
which Halle NJ. Daggett spent last sum-
mer and fall on the top of Klamath Peak,
In Siskiyou County, Cal Miss Daggett
Is the only woman who has ever been in
the forest service as fcrest-hre lookout.
She was entirely alone in the lookout
cabin. 500 feet above the sea, and with
the telephone as her only means Of COM
munIcation with any one. For part of
the time this connection was also cut of.
Miss Daggett does love the forests and
does care that they be preserved She
was born at the klamath Mine, at the
foot OF the peak where her five months
were spent And pioneering is in her
blood. coming to her from her father,
who crossed the isthmus in 1852. and from
her mother. who went across the plains
from Kentucky when she was a baby.
My earliest recolleCtions abound with
smoke-clouded summer days and fires
that wandered over the country at their
own sweet will, unchecked unless they
happened to interfere seriously with
some ones claim or woodpile. when they
were usually turned of by back firing
and headed in another direction. to con-
tinue their mischief till they either died
for lack OF fuel or were quenched by
the fall rains" she writes in American
Forestry. Such being the case. it is
easy TO see that / grew up with a fierce
hatred of the devastating fires, and well
coined the force which arrived to combat
them. But not until the lookout stations
were Installed did there come an oppor-
tunity to join what had up till then been
mans fight: although my sister and
had frequently been able to help on
the small things. such as extinguishing
spreading camp fires or carrying supplies
10 the firing line.
Begins as LookOat.
Then, thanks to the liberal-minded-
ness and courtesy Of the officials in
charge OF our district. / was given the
position OF lookout at the Eddy's Gulch
station In the Fourth district of the
Klamath National Forest and entered
upon my work the first day Of June
1913. with a firm determination to make
good. for ! knew that the appointment
OF a woman was rather in the nature
Of an experiment. and naturally felt that
there was a great deal due the men who
had been willing to give me the chance"
The central location of klamath Peak. I
which is really not peak but the Gull
mination OF a long series OF ridges run
ming up from the watersheds OF the north
and south forks OF the Salmon River. Z
made il an ideal spot for a station. and
also one of the best viewpoints for any
one who lived the country and the views
in all California.
Miss Daggett says Of II:
To the east. a shoulder OF snowy
Shasta and an unseen neighbor lookout
on Eagle Peak: further TO the south, the
high Jagged edge of Trinity County. and.
just disckrnibIe with the glasses. a shin
ing new cabin on Packers Peak: in the
west. behind Orleans Mountain. with its
ever watChfgl occupants, a faint glimpse
Of the shining Pacific showing with a
favorable sunset: and all in between. a
seeming wilderness OF ridges and gulches.
making up what is said to he one OF the .
finest continuous views in this Western :
wild Animals Companions.
Bird and animal life was also very
plentiful. filling the air with songs and
chatter: coming TO the doorstep for food.
and often invading the cabin itself. Sew
eral deer often fed around evenings:
there was a small bear down near the
spring. besides several larger ones whose
tracks | often saw on the trail: and a
couple Of porcupines also helped to keep
from being lonesome. by using various
means to find a way into the cabin at
night
IAN these animals being harmless, II
lad never zen my custom to carry a
run in so-called Western fashion. until
me morning / discovered a big panther
rack out on the TRAIL and then in defer
'nca to my family's united request. I
'uckled on the or Iodox weapon. which
lad been accommodating dust on the cabin
helf. and proceeded to be picturesque,
'ut to no avail, as the beast did not
gain return.
The difficulties connected with water
which bcset most Of the stations were
ightencd for Miss Daggett because of
he possibilities OF the melting snow
anks. This was later simplified still
urther by any visitor who rode I'D on
orsebaCk bringing water from the
pring, about a mile distant from the ,
abin. Miss Daggett's sister came once /
week, bringing upplies and mail .
The daily duties of life on top were
mall, merely consisting OF an early |
lorning and late evening tramps Of half .
mile to the point of the ridge where I
he trees obscured the north view from ,
he cabin; and constant watch on all &
ldes for a trace of smoke. watch '
-hich soon became a sort of instinct, T
ften awaking one in the night for a look '
round; for l soon came to feel that the I
'okout was, what one friend so aptly G
allied it. an ounce of prevention Then i
here were the three daily reports to q
he district headquarters in town. to /