ALBERTA LOOKOUTS
GOOSE MOUNTAIN
Slave Lake Division
1941: A round timber tower with observation cab erected.
1946: "The barn at Goose Mountain Lookout Tower was completed." (Annual Report of the Department of Lands and Mines, FY ended 3/31/1947)
March 13, 1947: "Monte Elford, forest ranger for District No. 35, is in town after a strenuous trip to Goose Mountain, 90 miles south, where he delivered the year's supply of fuel to the look-out tower. Leaving High Prairie with three teams manned by Archie McLeod and his two sons, loaded with 30 drums of gas, the party plunged through drifted trails until they reached the East Prairie river. Travel on the ice was in over 20 inches of snow and from four to six inches of overflow water. Three times they went through the ice, breaking the tongue of one sleigh, which had to be drawn with a chain for six miles to cabin No. 19. Due to four feet of snow and a stiff climb it required two days to travel from Mile 28 to Mile 30. Gas barrels were discarded freely on the last climb to the tower, which was reached at 9:30 one night. After unloading, picking up the discarded gas, melting snow for the horses the party started home, 16 days being spent enroute--12 days going in and four days returning.
Another 90-mile trip will be made to Goose Mountain to take in the tower man before the snow is gone. Don Bruce, Edmonton, was in charge of this look-out last summer." (Peace River Record-Gazette)
May 1, 1947: "Two young Edmonton men, of the Alberta Forestry service, Don Bruce, radio technician, and Grant Mercer, prospective Goose Mountain tower man, had a strenuous experience recently, when they attempted to reach Goose Mountain tower, 100 miles south of High Prairie. Leaving here March 25 with a two-horse team, with equipment to set up the tower and supplies for the trip and tower man. Accompanied by six sleigh dogs with Bill Johnson, dog musher, the party under supervision of Monte Elford, forest ranger, encountered tough luck from the start. Ice was rotten on the East Prairie river and the whole load was upset twice through the ice during the first two days travel. At upper East Prairie cabin it was found necessary to un load the supplies and leave the horses and one man. The rest pressed on with the toboggan and six dogs, two men breaking trail on snow shoes in front. Progress was fair the first two days, then came a seven-inch fall of wet snow, over the previous four feet of crusted snow, making it impossible for the dogs to travel. The party was forced to turn back April 1, when less than 15 miles from the destination. Their return was an epic of discomfort for travel on the rotten river ice resulted in their dropping to the waist in icy water and traveling in this uncomfortable condition until Mile 2, East Prairie trail, was reached. It is expected another attempt to reach the tower with a man and supplies will be made about the first of May." (Peace River Record-Gazette)
May 29, 1947: "Tanned from wind, sun and rain Ronald Linsdell arrived in High Prairie after his 160-mile trip to Goose Mountain, where he had performed his duties as radio technician for Alberta Forestry Service by installing Ted Barrow, tower man, on the mountain. Each spring, Linsdell, one of the unsung heros of the service, outfits the isolated towers with transmitters capable of communicating by voice or Morse code, where rangers may give and receive news of forest fires. He reaches these towers as best he can by team, on foot or with dog team. So difficult of access is Goose mountain that a previous attempt failed this spring.
The new tower man, Ted Barrow, who was left alone until October, seeing only the ranger who brings food once a month, his only communication with the world being his forestry radio." (Peace River Record Gazette)
July 1, 1948: "Monte Elford, fire ranger for district 35, has returned from a trip 160 miles south and reports mosquitos about the worst he has ever seen in his years of bush experience. Accompanied by Gordon Fowlie, radio technician of Edmonton, the Ranger escorted Tower man Andrew Craig to Goose mountain to be radio operator for the season. The Goose Mountain trip was made May 28 to June 8 and the travellers encountered soft footing at the West Prairie river fords. All corduroy was washed from the bridges, although stringers still remained, and high water had washed the East Prairie trail away in many places. Drifts of snow in the hills were still nine feet deep." (Peace River Record-Gazette)