By now, many folks, and especially those who recreate in the backcountry, are aware of the Eagle Pass lookout cabin situation.
Many volunteer hours went into the rebuilding of the old stone lookout, only to have one of the volunteers fined for by what the ministry in charge says was a violation .
All this has ruffled more than a few feathers. Back in 1880, the Dominion government granted a 20-mile corridor for the CPR, called the railway belt. Several fire lookouts were built to protect the timber along this land. Joss Mountain’s was built in 1921, Mount Cartier in 1922, Mara mountain in 1925 and Eagle Pass in 1922.
All were built to a high standard with telephone lines, etc. (If one hikes up Crazy Creek/Joss pass, they will see where the old lines have been burnt into the ground during years of lightning storms).
With rugged terrain, mortar,cement and lumber was brought up by horses on grubbed out good trails. Rush and Pappy Graham had the contract to supply the lookout man with groceries and supplies. The Mount Cartier lookout had a 17-mile steep climb. Mount Sprout, high above Shelter Bay(Revelstoke) had hair raising switchbacks and travel by jeep in later years.
Because of modern technology for wildfire detection, most look outs were fazed out in the early 1970s.
The Queest lookout can be seen at RJ Haney Heritage Village. Mount Cartier and Sprout lookouts were restored some years ago. I’m not sure how the process permits, etc. worked, but someone pee’d in the cornflakes in a Ministry office for Eagle Pass, and the reaction by that Ministry staff was, in the most part, overreaction.
Read more: Reconstructed Eagle Pass cabin avoids demolition
Read more: Letter: Upgrade to Eagle Pass cabin ill-advised
Read more: Splatsin embrace Eagle Pass lookout project
There should have been a bit of compassion shown in dealing with the situation. After all these years, as I drive past the original ranger station in Enderby, I can still visualize Norm Dale at the front counter, talking to a farmer about a pole limit. Brian Collins, Brian Lodge and Rangers going over maps. Stan Wejr, Henry Zamis and myself on fire patrol duty, rounding up local men/loggers to go fight fires. Ralph Lund was lookout man on Mara lookout. We had 129 in the Wap and Kingfisher. Later on, on Fisheries patrols, I would drive up to Queest lookout to visit the lady from Celista who manned it for several seasons.
A passionate, moving moment came when all the lookouts signed off for the evening, with a kind word from mountain top to mountain top. Many of us older guys who worked in the bush had close ties to a dwindling number of civil servants under more work pressure today.
Find more information on Eagle Pass and lookouts on Google.
Tight lines/good fishing!
@SalmonArm
newsroom@saobserver.net
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter