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Cement Ridge Fire Lookout
The original Cement Ridge Fire Lookout was built between 1911 and 1913. At that time it was a one-room log cabin with a shingle roof. In 1921, a crow’s nest with a glassed-in house was constructed. A new lookout was finished in 1941. This is the tower that you see today.
Over the years there have been many maintenance projects conducted on the lookout. In 1974, the cab siding, some planks in the catwalk, steps and wall studs were replaced. The interior was repainted, the siding stained, and the catwalk railing and steps were painted. The ground floor window frames and door were also replaced at that time. The lookout is considered eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and was listed on the National Historic Lookout Register on December 30, 1993. Brochure (.pdf)
Cement Ridge celebrated 75 years in 2016. Lookout Barb Peterson talked about the history of the Tower and her role as a lookout. (Podcast/Transcript - Recorded June 2016)
Activities
Interpretive Areas
Featured Events
- Smokey Bear 80th Birthday Coloring Contest
Date(s): May 1, 2024 - Jul 31, 2024 - National Forest Week - Dugout Gulch Botanical Trail Hike
Date(s): Jul 13, 2024 - Nature Connection Workshop: Animal Tracking & Naturalist Skills
Date(s): Jul 13, 2024 - July Moon Walk - Explore the Dark Skies at Jewel Cave
Date(s): Jul 20, 2024 - Learning about Animal Furs and Tracks
Date(s): Jul 27, 2024 - August Moon Walk - Wild for Prescribed Fire and Smokey Bear!
Date(s): Aug 17, 2024 - Reptile Investigations
Date(s): Aug 24, 2024 - Songbird of the Black Hills Campground Sing-Along
Date(s): Aug 31, 2024 - September Moon Walk - Are Our Hills "Slip-Sliding Away?"
Date(s): Sep 14, 2024
Location