T Lake Mountain 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
Adirondack Mountains
The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circular ...
region of
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 north-northwest of
Witherbee in
Hamilton County. In 1916, the Conservation Commission built a Aermotor LL25 tower on the mountain. The T Lake Mountain Fire Observation Station ceased fire watching operations at the end of the 1970 season. In 1977, U.S. Army Engineers tested explosive charges on the fire tower which brought the tower crashing down. A few weeks later, the remains of the tower were removed by helicopter.
History
In 1916, the
Conservation Commission
Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws.
Conservation may also refer to:
Environment and natural resources
* Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...
erected a
Aermotor
The Aermotor Windmill Company, or Aermotor Company, is an American manufacturer of wind-powered water pumps. The widespread use of their distinctive wind pumps on ranches throughout the arid plains and deserts of the United States has made their d ...
LL25 tower on the mountain. The tower was of a lighter weight than the 1917 design and had no stairs but only a ladder up the exterior to get to the top. In 1918 or 1919, wooden steps were added within the structure to ease access to the top of the tower. The Aermotor company later developed a self-supporting staircase for installation in the towers purchased in 1916. This staircase was a tower within a tower and was anchored to the original tower. This self-supporting staircase was installed in 1931 to replace the wooden stairs that were previously installed. Due to aerial detection that was developed, the tower was closed at the end of the 1970 fire lookout season. The tower was deemed as not necessary to fire lookout purposes and also a "non-conforming" structure in the newly established West Canada Lakes Wilderness Area. Residents around
Piseco Lake
Piseco Lake is located in Hamilton County, New York, near the hamlet of Piseco in the Adirondack Mountains. The outflow is Piseco Outlet, which flows into the West Branch Sacandaga River
West Branch Sacandaga River is a river in Hamilton Coun ...
made several unsuccessful requests to 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 ...
to keep the tower for air traffic control purposes at the Piseco Airport. In 1977, the
were allowed to test shaped explosive charges on the fire tower which brought the tower crashing down. A few weeks later, the remains of the tower were removed by
helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
.
External links
The Fire Towers of New York
References
{{Fire lookout towers in New York
Adirondacks
Tourist attractions in Hamilton County, New York
Mountains of Hamilton County, New York
Mountains of New York (state)