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Fire lookout · Marathon County, Wisconsin

Matson (N) Lookout

Also known as N (Matson)

Marathon County DNR fire tower built 1951 (94 ft per NHLR), NHLR-registered 2017; a 2021 DNR surplus listing offered it for removal, its current status is unconfirmed, and its catalog address (Plover, WI) is not reconciled with Marathon County.

Status unknown: We do not know yet whether it still stands. FFLOS still lists it as standing, but a 2021 DNR surplus listing offered it for removal by December 8, 2021; no source read confirms removal or that it still stands.

Visit & stay

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

Access

Restricted access

Access is seasonal, gated or needs a permit. Check before you go. 2021 listing describes a steel fence and a removed first length of the cab ladder to prevent unauthorized access

Can you climb it?
No
Road to the top?
Unknown
Trail
Fenced site; the sources read give no public visit route
Staffing
Unknown

Facts

Status
Status unknown sources disagree
Type
Cab on a tower94-foot tower with an inside corner ladder that appears to be an AermotorThe design: Aermotor
Built of
SteelGoing by its design; no source says so in words.
Built
1951
Height
94 ft (28.7 m)
Elevation
1,501 ft (458 m)
Agency
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Land
Unknown
Location
Marathon County, Wisconsin
Coordinates
44.94603, −89.34587
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 8 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-wi-matson-n

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.

Downloads about 3.9 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. 1951 BuiltBuilt 1951 per NHLR; the 2021 DNR listing also says it was constructed in 1951Sources: nhlr.org, bid.wisconsinsurplus.com
  2. No record between 1951 and 2005
  3. 2005 EventRenamed Matson in 2005 to honor John Kenneth Matson (Ken), a 45-year DNR lookout; historically named N TowerSource: nhlr.org
  4. 2009 Last staffedStaffed intermittently during spring fire season through 2009Source: nhlr.org
  5. 2012 EventStill used as a Marathon County radio tower until approximately 2012Source: nhlr.org
  6. 2017 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered August 28, 2017 as US 1248, WI 43; nominated by Tyler BormannSource: nhlr.org
  7. 2021 EventDNR surplus auction (Aug 18 to Sep 2, 2021) offered the tower for removal with a December 8, 2021 deadline; communications equipment no longer in use. No source read confirms the removal was completed.Sources: bid.wisconsinsurplus.com, firelookout.org
  8. TodayStatus unknownWe do not know whether it still stands.

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 8 Oct 2026, fact-checked.

The Matson (N) Lookout is a tower in Marathon County, Wisconsin, administered by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.1 The Register gives its height as 94 feet, while a 2021 DNR listing says about 90.1,2 The Register also says it was built in 1951, has an inside corner ladder, and appears to be an Aermotor. It was historically called N Tower.1 The 2021 auction catalog gives a Plover address that the sources read do not reconcile with Marathon County.2

The tower was renamed Matson in 2005 to honor John Kenneth Matson, known as Ken.1 Ken spent 45 years as a DNR fire lookout, most of them in this tower, and he kept climbing until he was 81.1 The Register says the tower was staffed on and off during spring fire seasons through 2009, and that it was still used as a Marathon County radio tower until about 2012.1 The sources read do not say which fires it watched.

The Register lists a registration date of August 28, 2017, with Tyler Bormann as nominator.1 In 2021 the DNR offered it for removal in a surplus auction that ran from August 18 to September 2.2 The catalog described the tower as in good shape apart from substantial surface rust on the cab, said its communications equipment was no longer in use, and set a removal deadline of December 8, 2021.2 As of November 2021, a Forest Fire Lookout Association report counted 27 Wisconsin towers still planned for removal.3

The Association's Wisconsin county list still shows the tower as standing.4 None of the sources read confirm whether it came down after the 2021 auction, so its current status is unknown.2,4

The 2021 listing describes a fenced site, with the first section of the cab ladder removed to prevent unauthorized access.2 The sources read give no public visit route, so they give no basis for visiting or climbing it.

  1. Matson (N) Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org), http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/wi/matson-n-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  2. #21950-128 - Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources - Multi Location - CLOSED (Lot 46463: Fire Detection Tower to be Removed - Matson Tower), Wisconsin Surplus, https://bid.wisconsinsurplus.com/Public/Auction/CatalogPreview?auctionId=ZIJWTHxzQsMcg%2BYSpwzB3w%3D%3D (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  3. Accomplishments 2021, Wisconsin, Forest Fire Lookout Association, https://firelookout.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/cr-wi-2021.pdf (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩
  4. Wisconsin Lookouts (by County), Forest Fire Lookout Association, https://firelookout.org/lookouts/us/wi/wi-co/ (accessed 2026-10-08). ↩

Photos

July 2017 photo
July 2017 photo (2017)Photo: Tyler Bormann, via National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source

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Where sources disagree

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  • Sources disagree on whether it still stands.

    • Firefinder research: Status unknown
    • FFLA: Standing

    Research (2026-10-08) gives unknown where the source records give standing. The page shows the researched status; please tell us if it is wrong.

Sources

  1. National Historic Lookout Register (NHLR) Gave us: name, location, county, elevation, what it is built of, register numbers, agency, dates, photos, links National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved (American Resources, Inc.); facts extracted only, no prose copied. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
  2. Forest Fire Lookout Association (FFLA) - US lookout lists Gave us: type, status, register numbers, links Forest Fire Lookout Association (firelookout.org) · No licence stated; facts extracted only, no prose copied. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  3. FOREST LOOKOUTS -- central US (centraluslookouts.weebly.com) Gave us: height, links centraluslookouts.weebly.com · No licence stated; facts only (county, coordinates where the page's own map widget gives them, status, height, design hints, register links). The site's own historical quotes, newspaper citations and narrative are not reproduced. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  4. Firefinder research Gave us: summary, design, height, status, agency, access, visiting details, 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

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