BRITISH COLUMBIA LOOKOUTS
MOUNT PREVOST
Capital
August 26, 1939: "On the west side of Mount Prevost commanding a wide view beyond the tree-tops, is a 47-foot frame tower surmounted by a look-out cabin, which the B. C. Forest Service completed last week-end." (Nanaimo Daily News)
August 1, 1946: "On a recent visit to Mount Prevost Lookout near Duncan we find that these living standards are sometimes also extended to lookoutmen. At this station we find a road to the tower site and electric lights installed at the lookout (courtesy of the R.C.A.F.). In addition we find the lookout-man's building has a carpet on the floor. It seems that lookout-men, just like anybody else, object to hitting cold boards with their feet at dawn. Elsewhere around this lookout we find evidence of an energetic attempt by the occupant to render his living conditions more habitual. In the evening hours, with 'scrounged' materials, he has constructed cupboards and cabinets and has lined the walls of what, previously, had been a bare shack.
Incidentally, during the 1945 season, on a visit to this point, we were surprised to find chickens wandering around and, upon querying the matter, we ascertained that lookout-men also like fresh eggs for breakfast." (Forest Branch Newsletter)
December 12, 1948: "Jim Burdes is a striking example of the type of lookout man engaged by the British Columbia Forest Service. He is a native son of British Columbia, born in Nanaimo, and works at the lookout post on the top of Mount Prevost, 2,580 feet above the city of Duncan.
Jim lives in a small cabin at the foot of the lookout tower. He does his own cooking with food brought up the mountain once a week. The cabin is fitted with radio and electric light but this is a recent innovation since the arrival of the R.C.A.F. in the vicinity.
From the top of Mount Prevost Jim can see for a range of 25 miles. On a clear night, he says, he can distinguish the street cars in Vancouver through his field glasses." (The Daily Colonist)