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Fire lookout · Saratoga County, New York

Cornell Hill

Luther Forest tower erected 1924, state-run until 1970; taken down at Cornell Hill in 2010 and rebuilt at Camp Saratoga in Wilton; no source describes the original site today.

The lookout that stood here was moved. Now at Wilton/Camp Saratoga

Moved: The structure was moved. The map shows where it stands now; the timeline says where it came from. Taken down at Cornell Hill in August 2010 and re-erected at Camp Saratoga in Wilton; no source describes the original site today

Visit & stay

Not rentable. As far as we know, this lookout cannot be booked for overnight stays.

Access

Access unknown

We do not know the access rules. Check with the land manager before you go.

Can you climb it?
Unknown
Road to the top?
Unknown
Staffing
Unknown

Facts

Status
Moved
Type
Cab on a tower60-foot Aermotor fire tower with a 7 by 7 foot metal cab; model disputed (LS-40 per Starr and the Town of Wilton, LS-20 per NHLR)The design: Aermotor LS-40
Built of
Not recorded
Built
1924
Height
60 ft (18.3 m)
Elevation
Unknown
Agency
New York Conservation Commission (erected the tower in 1924)
Land
Unknown
Location
Saratoga County, New York
Coordinates
42.96865, −73.73546
Registers
Not on a lookout register
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 10 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-ny-cornell-hill

View from the cab

What you see from the cab: every ridge out to about 93 miles, the named peaks in sight, and other fire lookouts within view, worked out from terrain data in your browser.

The structure was moved. This view is from the position Firefinder shows for this record, at its recorded height.

Downloads about 3.5 MB of terrain data the first time.

Or see what it could see on the map: the ground in its line of sight.

History

Then and now

  1. 1924 BuiltErected by the NY Conservation Commission as a 60-foot Aermotor in Luther Forest; NHLR and Starr give the model differentlySources: nhlr.org, nhlr.org
  2. 1924 First staffedNoah LaCasse was the first forest fire observer, 1924 to 1935Source: nhlr.org
  3. No record between 1924 and 1970
  4. 1970 Last staffedState operation ended with the 1970 fire season; the tower was then decommissioned. The Saratogian names Jim Crammond as the last observer, without a dateSources: nhlr.org, saratogian.com
  5. 1976 EventWilliam Mackay bought the tower from the state for $1, per the Saratogian; Starr says it went to Luther Forest for a nominal feeSources: nhlr.org, saratogian.com
  6. No record between 1976 and 2010
  7. 2010 MovedDismantled at Cornell Hill in August 2010 and re-erected at Camp Saratoga in December 2010; NHLR dates the relocation to 2011Sources: nhlr.org, nhlr.org, saratogian.com
  8. 2010 RestoredDisassembled in August 2010; contractor David Vana cleaned and fixed the old steel, then re-erected the tower at Camp SaratogaSources: saratogian.com, nhlr.org
  9. 2011 EventDedication ceremony on May 14, 2011 at Camp SaratogaSources: nhlr.org, saratogian.com
  10. Date unknown MovedThe lookout was moved to Wilton/Camp Saratoga.Source: FFLA
  11. TodayMovedThe structure was moved. The map shows where it stands now; the timeline says where it came from. When it came down is not recorded.

Old maps of this spot

USGS topographic maps from the years a lookout stood may show it, often as a small symbol labelled “Lookout”. See the old topo maps around it on the Firefinder map, or find every scanned sheet of this spot on USGS TopoView (click the spot there to list them, with dates and downloads).

Story

Researched 10 Oct 2026, fact-checked.

The tower stood on Cornell Hill in Luther Forest.1 The New York Conservation Commission erected a 60-foot Aermotor fire tower there in 1924.2 Sources disagree on the model. Bill Starr and the Town of Wilton say LS-40, while the National Historic Lookout Register says LS-20.1,3,2

Noah LaCasse was the first forest fire observer, working the tower from 1924 to 1935.1 The state ran the lookout under an easement with Luther Forest until the end of the 1970 fire season, when the tower was decommissioned.1 The Saratogian names Jim Crammond as the last observer but gives no date.4

Afterward, the sources differ on who owned the tower. Starr says Luther Forest acquired it for a nominal payment.1 The Saratogian says William Mackay bought it from the state for $1 in 1976.4 Starr also reports that the tower was subject to vandalism after the state gave it up.1

In August 2010, Dave Vana's crew started taking the tower apart at Cornell Hill.1 Luther Forest Corp. covered the restoration cost and handed the tower over to the Town of Wilton.4 The tower went up again at Camp Saratoga in December 2010, although the National Historic Lookout Register dates the relocation to 2011.2 A dedication followed on May 14, 2011.1

Today the tower stands at Camp Saratoga, 93 Scout Road, in the Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park.3,2 According to the Town of Wilton, the tower is open on the third weekend of each month from April through October, 10am to 3pm, and also on October 2 and 3 during foliage season.3 In 2011 the Saratogian reported that a volunteer guide had to go along with visitors.4

No source we read describes the original Cornell Hill site today, after the tower was taken down.

  1. Moving the Cornell Hill fire tower to Wilton, NY, Bill Starr, Lookout Network, Spring 2011, http://nhlr.org/media/2967/cornell_hill_fire_tower_moved_to_wilton_ny-by_bill_starr.pdf (accessed 2026-10-10). ↩
  2. Cornell Hill Fire Tower at Wilton, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/ny/cornell-hill-fire-tower-at-wilton/ (accessed 2026-10-10). ↩
  3. Cornell Hill Fire Tower, Town of Wilton, https://townofwilton.com/visitors/cornell-hill-fire-tower/ (accessed 2026-10-10). ↩
  4. Wilton dedicates Cornell Hill Fire Tower, which was recently restored and relocated to Camp Saratoga, Saratogian, http://www.saratogian.com/general-news/20110514/wilton-dedicates-cornell-hill-fire-tower-which-was-recently-restored-and-relocated-to-camp-saratoga (accessed 2026-10-10). ↩

Sources

  1. Forest Fire Lookout Association (FFLA) - US lookout lists Gave us: name, location, county, type, status, links Forest Fire Lookout Association (firelookout.org) · No licence stated; facts extracted only, no prose copied. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  2. Firefinder research Gave us: summary, design, height, status, agency, dates, links, fact-check Firefinder research (sources cited in the story footnotes) · Our own research notes; each fact cites its source in the lookout's story

More about this lookout elsewhere

Firefinder takes facts (places, dates, numbers) from these sources and writes its own words. See all sources and licences.