DATE: August 9, 2016
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Laurel C. Prysiazny, County Librarian
Stephen Barile, Chairman, Historical Landmarks and Records Advisory Commission
SUBJECT: Historic Place - Delilah Fire Lookout
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve designation and placement of Delilah Fire Lookout on the County’s Register of Historic Places; and
2. Authorize the Chairman to execute the certificate for a Historic Place.
REPORT
There is no Net County Cost associated with these actions, which will allow the Delilah Fire Lookout to be placed on the County’s List of Historic Places. The Historical Landmarks and Records Advisory Commission recommend historic and prehistoric sites and structures to be listed on the Fresno County’s List of Historic Places. Approval by the Board of Supervisors encourages preservation of the County’s history.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board could choose to not approve these actions, which would result in Delilah Fire Lookout not being placed on the County’s Register of Historic Places at this time.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions.
DISCUSSION:
The Delilah Fire Lookout is located nine miles North of Highway 180 at the end of Millwood Road. The first indication of a fire lookout on Pine Ridge where the Delilah Fire Lookout is located was recorded on the Sequoia National Forest map in 1916, with the function to report fires to the Forest Ranger at the McKenzie Guard Station.
During World War II the lookout at Delilah was commissioned by the Army Air Corps to watch for enemy aircraft as part of the Aircraft Warning Service.
There have been approximately three different lookout structures on this site. The current lookout structure was obtained from the Lemoore Naval Air Station in 1959.
During the 1980’s and 1990’s, the California Department of Forestry and the Sequoia National Forest provided funding for this lookout. The Delilah lookout lost this funding in 1998 and was abandoned. It is currently staffed on an as-needed basis for emergency use only.
In 2015, the Delilah Fire Lookout played a major role in reporting the presence of smoke that was the earliest sign of what would became known as the Rough Fire (July-November 2015).
The Historical Landmarks and Records Advisory Commission first reviewed the application during its March 10, 2016 meeting and, during the May 12, 2016 meeting, unanimously voted to recommend that the structure be listed on the Fresno County’s List of Historic Places.
OTHER REVIEWING AGENCIES:
Historical Landmarks and Records Advisory Commission
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Historic Place Certificate
CAO ANALYST:
Samantha Buck