09/07/2026
This weekend, we visited the Clay Butte Fire Tower, located on the Beartooth Highway just west of Beartooth Lake. Built in the early 1940s and manned to spot fires until the 1960s, the tower is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. We had the great fortune to stop at the tower while it was staffed by the gracious and knowledgeable Shoshone National Forest Volunteer, Dennis Spargur. Dennis gave us the full tour, identifying the surrounding lakes and mountain peaks by name, recounting visits from grizzlies and moose, and pointing out the glass insulators on the legs of the furniture pieces, a safety precaution needed during lightning storms. The highlight of our tour was Dennis explaining and demonstrating the Osborne Fire Finder, a tabletop device once used to determine the location of wildfires. The views from the tower were phenomenal. What a great stop! Thank you, Dennis!!
