Old Bodcau Fire Tower in Louisiana

by Kathy White

Title

Old Bodcau Fire Tower in Louisiana

Artist

Kathy White

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

I took this photograph in 2008 of the Fire Tower at Bodcau, near Bellevue, Louisiana. The tower loomed 280 feet in the air and had a visibility of 40 miles. My husband had grown up seeing this tower every year when they went hunting. We were saddened recently when we passed by there and the fire tower had been torn down. So we feel like our two photographs we took of the tower are more meaningful now, especially reminding David of earlier days.
A fire lookout tower, fire tower or lookout tower, provides housing and protection for a person known as a "fire lookout" whose duty it is to search for wildfires in the wilderness. The fire lookout tower is a small building, usually located on the summit of a mountain or other high vantage point, in order to maximize the viewing distance and range, known as view shed. From this vantage point the fire lookout can see any trace of smoke that may develop, determine the location by using a device known as an Osborne Fire Finder, and call fire suppression personnel to the fire.
The typical fire lookout tower consists of a small room, known as a cab located atop a large steel, or wooden tower.
Fire Towers gained popularity in the early 1900s, and fires were reported using telephones, carrier pigeons, and heliographs. Although many fire lookouts have fallen into disuse as a result of neglect, abandonment, and declining budgets, some fire service personnel have made an effort to preserve older fire towers, arguing that a good set of human eyes watching the forest for wildfire can be an effective and cheap fire safety measure.
The history of fire lookout towers predates the United States Forest Service, founded in 1905. Many townships, private lumber companies, and State Forestry organizations operated fire lookout towers on their own accord. The heyday of fire lookout towers was from 1930 through 1950. During World War II, the Aircraft Warning Service was established, operating from mid-1941 to mid-1944. Fire lookouts were assigned additional duty as Enemy Aircraft Spotters, especially on the West Coast of the United States.
From the 1960s through the 1990s the towers took a back seat to new technology, aircraft, and improvements in radios.

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January 6th, 2013

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