| Hike-In | Destroyed |
| Elevation: 4893′ | Kanisku National Forest |
HISTORY
1926: Camp established here
1927: a 10×10 cabin was built
1936: a 40′ L-4 cab tower was built atop Blacktail Mnt, located 1 mile south of Butler Mnt
1931: Tragedy struck here – scroll to the bottom of the page to read more.
1947: Destroyed
OUR NOTES
After visiting the sites of Butler Mountain and Blacktail Mountain we are a little confused and think perhaps the written history is incorrect going by the ruins we found.
Butler Mountain has the cement footings from a tower (the L-4? that was built in 1936) and Blacktail Mountain has scattered ruins more in line with a cabin having been located here (and no cement footings).
The footings and assorted ruins at Butler Mountain:
ABOVE – Cement footings, grounding cables, wood structure debris and #9 wire found at the site of Butler Mountain.
The ruins of what appears to be a cabin and excellent viewpoint atop Blacktail mountain.
NEWS ARCHIVE:
NORTHERN IDAHO NEWS – JUNE 23, 1931
“Some time after 5 O’clock Sunday evening a bolt of lightning instantly killed James Butler in the lookout house on the top of Blacktail mountain. The body was discovered about 6 o’clock yesterday afternoon by forest service officials who went there to investigate why he did not answer the telephone.
His body was found in the corner of the lookout where he had evidently been standing looking at the storm. The bolt of lightning struck him on the right temple and the main part came out of his foot just below the ankle leaving a good sized hole indicating terrific voltage. Part of the electricity escaped through the other leg just above the knee.
He had evidently been washing some clothes as there was a tub on the stove partially filled with water and the clothes were in a basin on the other side of the room. The floor near where he had stood was covered with water.
Butler was about 19 years old and lived between Belmont and Athol. He was the lookout for the forestry department and about 4:30 had called the Sandpoint office and talked to them. He called again about 4:45 and said there was a gad storm brewing and for them not to call him again.
Coroner Moon and a party of forest officials went to Blacktail mountain and brought the body back to Sandpoint.
Butler’s funeral will be held tomorrow morning at Athol from the Catholic church.”
*We were able to find 3 different articles about this – however all three list the lookout with a different name. James, Glen and Ben. He is listed as being 19 and being 23 years old. His headstone names him as GLEN B BUTLER 1908-1931 making him 22/23 years old.
Also found reference that Butler mountain was named after the deceased lookout, still working to confirm that.
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