Lookout (formerly, Whitley's Ford) is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in Modoc County,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. It is located west of Adin, at an elevation of 4144 feet (1263 m). Its population is 68 as of the 2020 census, down from 84 from the 2010 census. Lookout's ZIP Code is 96054. The Whitley's Ford post office operated from 1874 to 1875. The Lookout post office opened in 1880. The original name honors James W. Whitley, a local hotelier. The name Lookout recalls how Native Americans used nearby hills as observation points.

The lynching of 1901

On May 31, 1901, a group of masked men rushed the guards who were watching over five members of an extended family who were being held in custody in the town's hotel as Lookout, California did not have a jail. The men, Daniel Yantes, Martin Wilson, and Frank, Jim and Calvin Hall were taken to the Pitt River Bridge, and hung from the railings. Three had terrorized the locals for years; robbing, stealing, cattle rustling, vandalizing property and livestock. Martin Wilson was 13 years old and completely innocent of any crime. Calvin the step father, also was innocent and was hung for fear of being able to name the members of the lynch mob. He was in his late 70s. The family also ran a safe house at their ranch for criminals on the run. When arrested for their crimes, the clan always hired attorneys who used their skills or bribery to get the charges dropped. On May 30, 1901, the men were taken into custody for cattle rustling, but knowing that there would only be more trouble once the men were given bail, local citizens formed a vigilante committee and lynched them. On June 10, 1901, a grand jury indicted R.E. Leventon, Isom Eades and James Brown and held them for trial. Lookout was suddenly full of reporters, bounty hunters, attorneys and state officials. The men were acquitted in January 1902. The trial cost Modoc County $40,000. The overwhelming evidence of their guilt was discovered by John Boessenecker and published in his book Badge and Buckshot: Lawlessness in Old California (1988).

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP covers an area of 5.5 square miles (14.1 km), 97.83% of it land and 2.17% water.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Lookout has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps. Winters are very harsh, with dry cold snow with temperatures sometimes around or below zero.

Demographics

The 2020 United States census reported that Lookout had a population of 68. The population density was . The racial makeup of Lookout was 60 (88%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0 (0%)

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1 (1%) Native American, 0 (0%) Asian, 0 (0%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1 (1%) from other races, and 6 (9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6 persons (9%). The whole population lived in households. There were 24 households, out of which 10 (42%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 8 (33%) were married-couple households, 0 (0%) were cohabiting couple households, 12 (50%) had a female householder with no partner present, and 4 (17%) had a male householder with no partner present. 10 households (42%) were one person, and 7 (29%) were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.83. There were 12 families (50% of all households). The age distribution was 20 people (29%) under the age of 18, 1 people (1%) aged 18 to 24, 11 people (16%) aged 25 to 44, 11 people (16%) aged 45 to 64, and 25 people (37%) who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 51.0years. There were 40 males and 28 females. There were 45 housing units at an average density of , of which 24 (53%) were occupied. Of these, 13 (54%) were owner-occupied, and 11 (46%) were occupied by renters.

Politics

In the state legislature, Lookout is in , and . Federally, Lookout is in .

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Modoc County, California Census-designated places in California