National Register of Historic Places

Bishop Mountain Lookout

Island Park, Fremont County, Idaho
Listed
May 22, 1986
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
86001184

About this property

The Bishop Mountain Lookout, located near Island Park, Idaho, was created between 1936 and 1938 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, and its cabin is currently available as reserved accommodations through the United States Forest Service. Bishop Mountain Look was constructed between 1936 and 1938 by members of Company 2515 of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), based at Camp Porcupine (F-405), as a fire lookout for the United States Forest Service in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. When Franklin D. Roosevelt first ran for the office of President of the United States, America was in the midst of The Great Depression, with economic recovery uncertain. Roosevelt campaigned in 1932 on the promise, "I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people." The CCC, which operated 1933–1942, was part of his New Deal program, providing unskilled manual labor jobs related to the conservation and development of natural resources in rural lands owned by federal, state and local governments. In Idaho, the CCC, employed 80,000 men, a larger per capita ratio than any other state. The 72-foot (22 m) steel construction fire lookout tower is topped by a steel cab manufactured by Aermotor Company of Chicago. It is situated at an elevation of 7,810 feet (2,380 m) on the summit of Bishop Mountain, an extinct volcanic vent on the rim of the Island Park Caldera. The log cabin was built as a 16'x24' one-room, screened-porch structure, with a "vault toilet" in a separate building. The cabin, which has no running water, electricity, bed linens or other basic amenities, is currently available for rental through the National Forest Service. Much of the road access is paved with only gravel, and can only be accessed by snowmobile during many of the winter months. The property was added to the NRHP in Fremont County, Idaho on May 23, 1986. McDonald, Joseph A. (1986), Bishop Mountain Lookout, National Park Service, retrieved May 16, 2017 "Bishop Mountain Lookout Cabin and Tower – Island Park ID". The Living New Deal.

Location

Island Park, Fremont County, Idaho
44.33398, -111.55319

Categories

CONSERVATIONARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
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The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Finds & Access
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Nearby Historic Sites

Island Park Land and Cattle Company Home Ranch
Listed
4.7 mi
Crabtree, Glen and Addie, Cabin
Industrial
10.2 mi
Big Falls Inn
Industrial
15 mi
Albaugh, Eleanor, Cabin
Industrial
16 mi
Camas Meadow Camp and Battle Sites
Listed
16.4 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Camas Meadows (Nez Perce)
1877Indian Wars
3.5 mi
Battle of Camas Meadows
1877Indian Wars
6.8 mi
Nez Perce War – Skirmish at Camas Meadows
1877Indian Wars
8.3 mi
Camas Meadows
1877Indian Wars
9.1 mi
Nez Perce — Camas Meadows Mule Raid (August 20, 1877)
1877Indian Wars
10 mi

Questions about this property

When was Bishop Mountain Lookout listed on the National Register?

Bishop Mountain Lookout was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 22, 1986.

What type of historic resource is Bishop Mountain Lookout?

Bishop Mountain Lookout is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Bishop Mountain Lookout?

The period of significance for Bishop Mountain Lookout is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Bishop Mountain Lookout?

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