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Fire lookout · Vilas County, Wisconsin

Monahan Lookout

Vilas County, WI 100-foot Aermotor tower built 1934 on land Drager gave an easement for; removed by August 2023; a USGS survey marker is the only remnant described.

Gone: The lookout no longer stands. Only the site is left. Removed by August 2023 per the Former Fire Lookout Sites page (NHLR says by 2023); FFA list marks it gone

Visit & stay

Gone: site only. The lookout no longer stands, so there is nothing to climb or rent.

Access

Access unknown

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

Road to the top?
Unknown

Facts

Status
Gone sources disagree
Type
Cab on a tower100-foot Model MC-39 Aermotor steel tower with 7-by-7-foot cab and an inside stairwayThe design: Aermotor MC-39
Built of
Steel
Built
1934
Height
100 ft (30.5 m)
Elevation
1,829 ft (558 m)
Agency
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Land
Unknown
Location
Vilas County, Wisconsin
Coordinates
46.08305, −89.38247 sources disagree
This entry
VerifiedResearched, then checked independently. Updated 9 Oct 2026.
Firefinder id
us-wi-monahan

View from the cab

What the lookout saw from its 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.

This lookout is gone. The view is reconstructed from its recorded site and its recorded height.

Downloads about 3.6 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. 1932 EventLand purchased for back taxes by Edmund and Matilda Drager; Mr. Drager later granted the government an easement for the towerSources: nhlr.org, firetower.org
  2. 1934 BuiltConstructed in 1934 on a small, high, wooded knob that scouts selectedSources: nhlr.org, firetower.org
  3. No record between 1934 and 2004
  4. 2004 Added to the National Historic Lookout RegisterRegistered July 20, 2004; nominated by Keith PostoSource: nhlr.org
  5. No record between 2004 and 2023
  6. 2023 Added to the Former Fire Lookout Sites RegisterRegistered December 31, 2023; nominated by Mitchell MooreSource: firetower.org
  7. 2023 RemovedRemoved by August 2023 (FFLOS); NHLR says by 2023Sources: nhlr.org, firetower.org
  8. TodayGoneThe lookout no longer stands. Only the site is left.

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 9 Oct 2026, fact-checked.

The Monahan Lookout stood in Vilas County, Wisconsin, on a small, high, wooded knob that scouts picked out in 1934.1,2 The land had been bought for back taxes in 1932 by Edmund and Matilda Drager. Mr. Drager then granted the government an easement so the tower could be built.1,2

The tower was a 100-foot Model MC-39 Aermotor steel tower with a 7-by-7-foot cab and an inside stairway.1 The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources administered it.1

The National Historic Lookout Register recorded the tower in 2004, and the Former Fire Lookout Sites register added the site in 2023.1,2

The Former Fire Lookout Sites page says the tower was removed by August 2023.2 The Forest Fire Lookout Association's Wisconsin list marks it as gone.3

A photo on the Former Fire Lookout Sites page is captioned as a USGS survey marker shown after the demolition, and that marker is the only remnant the sources describe. No source describes the site itself today.2

  1. Monahan Lookout, National Historic Lookout Register, http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/wi/monahan-lookout/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  2. Monahan Lookout Site, Former Fire Lookout Sites, http://firetower.org/lookouts/us/wi/monahan-lookout-site/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩
  3. Wisconsin Lookouts (by County), Forest Fire Lookout Association, https://firelookout.org/lookouts/us/wi/wi-co/ (accessed 2026-10-09). ↩

Photos

Photo of Monahan Lookout
Photo: National Historic Lookout Register (nhlr.org) · All rights reserved · source
Photo of Monahan Lookout
Photo: K. Posto, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source
USGS survey marker after tower demolition
USGS survey marker after tower demolitionPhoto: Mitchell Moore, via Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved · source

Photos keep their own rights and are shown with credit. Is one of these yours? You can ask for a different credit or for removal.

Where sources disagree

We show disagreements between sources instead of quietly picking one. If you know which is right, please tell us.

  • Sources disagree on the location by 1.4 km (0.9 mi).

    • FFLA: 46.08305, −89.38247
    • NHLR: 46.09389, −89.39278
    • FFLOS: 46.09389, −89.39278

    They share a register number.

    The map uses the position from FFLA.

  • Sources disagree on whether it still stands.

    • FFLA: Gone
    • NHLR: Standing
    • FFLOS: Gone

    NHLR lists lookouts that were standing when registered.

Sources

  1. National Historic Lookout Register (NHLR) Gave us: name, 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. Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (FFLOS) Gave us: register numbers, dates, photos, links Former Fire Lookout Sites Register (firetower.org) · All rights reserved (American Resources, Inc.); facts extracted only, no prose copied. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
  3. Forest Fire Lookout Association (FFLA) - US lookout lists Gave us: location, type, status, register numbers, links Forest Fire Lookout Association (firelookout.org) · No licence stated; facts extracted only, no prose copied. · retrieved 8 Oct 2026
  4. OpenStreetMap -- fire lookout structures Gave us: links © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL 1.0. (c) OpenStreetMap contributors. · retrieved 4 Oct 2026
  5. 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.