Mount Tuscarora 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 within Allegany State Park in Coldspring,

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 ...

. In 1928, a steel fire lookout tower was built on the mountain. The tower remains on the mountain but needs to be restored. The peak is the tallest in the Allegany State Park among those that have a trail to the summit, at 2,144 ft above sea level.

History

From 1890 to 1965, Mount Tuscarora was known as South Hill and was within the jurisdiction of the town of Elko. The mountain divided the two settlements in its bounds, with Quaker Bridge (Tunesassa) to the north and Wolf Run to the southwest. In 1928, the Conservation Department's Division of State Parks built a Aermotor LS40 steel fire lookout tower on the mountain. By the end of 1928, the park had five towers in operation including the three main towers on Mount Irvine, Mount Tuscarora, and Summit, as well as two more on Red House and Bova Mountain. In 1931, the jurisdiction of many State Park towers was transferred to Forest Fire Control. However, the Alleghany State Park retained jurisdiction and staffed the tower on Mount Tuscarora during times of high fire danger. The lookout tower remains on the mountain, but is in serious need of adoption and restoration.

References

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