McCarty Hill is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

in the

Southern Tier The Southern Tier is a geographic subregion of the broader Upstate New York region of New York State, consisting of counties west of the Catskill Mountains in Delaware County and geographically situated along or very near the northern border ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. It is located in

Cattaraugus County Cattaraugus County (locally known as Catt County) is a county in Western New York, with one side bordering Pennsylvania. As of the United States 2020 census, the population was 77,042. The county seat is Little Valley. The county was created ...

, mostly in Little Valley and Great Valley, with portions in Ellicottville and

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...

. In 1940, an steel fire lookout tower was built on the mountain. The tower ceased fire lookout operations and then officially closed in early 1989. In 1993, the tower was dismantled and removed and replaced with a free-standing communications tower.

History

In 1940, the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

Camp S-106 of Salamanca built an International Derrick steel fire lookout tower on the mountain. The tower was initially intended to be on Irish Hill, which is located northeast of McCarty Hill. The tower was first staffed in 1941 and reported 4 fires and 980 visitors. The tower ceased fire lookout operations at the end of the 1988 fire lookout season. The

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (informally referred to as NYSDEC, DEC, EnCon or NYSENCON) is a department of New York state government. The department guides and regulates the conservation, improvement, and protection ...

(NYSDEC) officially closed the tower in early 1989. Beginning in 1987, the tower hosted repeater antennae for the Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO). A small building was built at the base with a

chain link fence A chain-link fence (also referred to as wire netting, wire-mesh fence, chain-wire fence, cyclone fence, hurricane fence, or diamond-mesh fence) is a type of woven fence usually made from galvanized or linear low-density polyethylene-coated st ...

to protect the building. In 1993, the NYSDEC made an agreement with the CCSO that the CCSO could build a free-standing tower on the site of the fire lookout tower. The tower was dismantled and removed at the same time the new free-standing tower was constructed. Both the Holimont Ski Resort and Holiday Valley Resort are constructed on the north-facing side of the mountain. Most of the remainder of the mountain is owned by the state of New York as the Rock City and McCarty Hill

State Forests A state forest or national forest is a forest that is administered or protected by some agency of a sovereign state, sovereign or federated state, or territory (country subdivision), territory. Background The precise application of the terms va ...

.Rock City and McCarty Hill State Forests
information page, from the

, retrieved March 4, 2022. The state offers

mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...

, camping, hiking (via the

Finger Lakes Trail The Finger Lakes Trail consists of a network of trails in New York. The trail system is administered by thFinger Lakes Trail Conference(FLTC), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, composed primarily of volunteers. Description The FLT is primaril ...

), horseback riding, snowmobiling during winter months, and hunting; the southern portion of the state forest includes a geological formation of large boulders resembling a city, hence the Rock City name.

References

{{Fire lookout towers in New York Mountains of Cattaraugus County, New York Mountains of New York (state)