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Pavement Ends
James Baughn

Afraid of heights? Don't read this

Posted Thursday, September 18, 2008, at 11:18 AM

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  • Mr. Baughn: I LOVE your blogs, haven't seen one for a while. I remember as a child going to a firetower here in Southern Illinois with my father. We climbed all the way to the top (probably illegal)..and it was fun. This one was located somewhere in Union County and I remember it had a protective cage all the way around it. This was almost 30 years ago, so it may be gone now.

    -- Posted by tinks89 on Thu, Sep 18, 2008, at 1:36 PM
  • I've often wondered why firetowers were abandoned. Isn't a manned firetower the quickest way to spot a forest fire before it becomes larger and more difficult to extinguish?

    -- Posted by BABE on Thu, Sep 18, 2008, at 3:43 PM
  • The Tywappity tower had a good view of Cape. One reason it was removed is because it was built on land not owned by the Mo. Dept. of Conservation! Shiver me timbers!!!

    -- Posted by Hugh M Bean on Fri, Sep 19, 2008, at 12:12 PM
  • Nil: According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_lookout_tower), it was aircraft and better radios that made many fire towers obsolete. Satellite observations haven't been very helpful for detecting small fires. Wikipedia says, "Fires detected from space are already too large to make accurate assessments for control."

    -- Posted by James Baughn on Fri, Sep 19, 2008, at 2:53 PM
  • James,

    Awesome blog as always. There's a really cool fire tower out around the Current River in the Shannon County vacinity. It's right along the Current and can be seen while floating down river--I'm sure there's an astonishing view from up top! Great job!

    -- Posted by John R Cash on Sun, Sep 21, 2008, at 7:33 PM