REGIONS : BOTH ORIGIN and RE-LOCATED SITES ~ South Central WA.
This is an unusual TYPE 2 RE-LOCATION as only the Dymond Gap Lookout ground house living quarters was retained and moved after the lookout tower was destroyed in 1978. The new owner moved the ground house seven miles to his private property near Glenwood where it sat for a number of years. A second private owner purchased it about ten years ago, but did not move it again until June, 2022. It is now on a second private property in the Glenwood Valley and the owner is in the process of renovating it.
The Dymond Gap Lookout was built by the State Department of Forestry (SDF) in 1937 or 1938. Many references list 1938 as the year of construction, but a reference contained in Eric Willhite’s web site states that it was built in 1937. Two articles which came from Ron Kemnow’s website www.washingtonlookouts.weebley.com also list 1937:
November 5, 1937: “The lookout station being built by the State Fire Association on Panakanic Mountain is nearing completion and is easily seen from our valley.” (Mt. Adams Sun)
1937: A new 100-foot treated timber tower was erected. (Biennial Report of the Forestry Division)
The lookout was a 99’ treated timber tower with an 8’ x 8’ cab. A ground house to be used as the living quarters was built at the same time as the lookout.
The lookout was also known by other names. The variant Diamond Gap was often used. A small town named Laurel was nearby and the lookout was also known as the Laurel Lookout. Panorama photos were taken from the lookout with the camera 104’ above ground level on July 16, 1941. The Coast and Geodetic Survey (CGS) set survey markers at the Dymond Gap Lookout in 1946. The panorama photos and the survey markers both used the name Diamond Gap.
The driving instructions in the 1946 CGS Station Description report reads in part: “…continue main traveled road 5.6 miles to a sign Laurel Lookout Tower on the left. Turn left 2.1 miles to the Diamond Gap Lookout at the end of the road…”. By the time that the 1947 CGS Station Recovery visit was made the Laurel Lookout Tower sign had been changed to read Diamond Gap L.O.. The description of the lookout tower given in the 1947 Station Recovery report reads: “The Diamond Gap Lookout tower is a wood structure 103 feet from the ground to the floor of the small building located on top of the tower. The building is about 12 feet square and 10 feet high. The tower is anchored by cables running from each corner to deadheads located about 75 feet from the base of the tower.”
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Evidently a family named Dymond lived nearby and their name was given to the Dymond Gap area and lookout. The local residents, as well as most articles in the local newspapers used the name Dymond. This can be seen in the articles below which came from Ron Kemnow’s website www.washingtonlookouts.weebley.com :
May 30, 1940: “A new sign for the Dymond Gap Fire Lookout station was installed this week at the forks of the Laurel-Glenwood road. Lloyd Caryl of Trout Lake is to be stationed there as lookout this year. Robert Pearson, who formerly occupied that position will be stationed at the Fire Hall in Glenwood as assistant to Marvin Jemtegaard, who is fire warden for this section. The sign for Dymond Gap was made at the Rainier CCC camp and gives the elevation of the 100 foot tower as 3020 feet. Recordings for the past week on their hygrothermograph registered 86 degrees as the highest temperature and 28 degrees Saturday night as the lowest. Patrol duty and repairing of telephone lines have occupied the state crew this week. Three lines to Trout Lake, Liberty Bond and to the lookout on Dymond Butte, all have to be kept in condition.” (Goldendale Sentinel)
October 10, 1940: “The fire season practically ended October 1 with the lay off of Llyod Caryl, Trout Lake fire warden, stationed as lookout on Dymond Butte, south of Laurel, and the closure of the 100 foot lookout tower.” (Goldendale Sentinel)
October 24, 1940: “Twelve miles of state owned telephone line from the fire hall here to the lookout tower on Dymond Butte has been rebuilt when new poles were installed and wires restrung by Marvin Jemptegaard, state forest employee.” (Goldendale Sentinel)
May 26, 1955: “Donna Kuhnhausen is on the lookout at Dymond Gap. She will be there for a week then Mary Gribner will go there and Donna to Gray Back Lookout.” (Mt. Adams Sun)
May 24, 1956: “Miss Camille Jaquith left Sunday evening for Diamond Gap lookout station. She will stay three days till school is out, then Judy Perry will take over and Miss Jaquith will go to Gray Back lookout.” (Mt. Adams Sun)
September 6, 1956: “Jackie Ford is going on the Lookout at Dymond Gap Sept. 4 as the girl now there will go to school.” (Mt. Adams Sun)
June 26, 1958: “All trees marked with yellow paint (to be cut to provide unobstructed view from Diamond Gap fire lookout station), comprising approximately 63,000 bd. ft. of Douglas fir and 2,000 bd. ft. of white fir. 10 acres more or less.” (Mt. Adams Sun)
June 6, 1963: “Miss Julie Thomas left last week to spend the summer at a lookout tower at Laurel.” (Mt. Adams Sun)
July 6, 1967: “Newlyweds Jacqueline and Michael Templeton, after the reception the young couple traveled to the Oregon Coast. They are now at home on the Dymond Gap Lookout in Glenwood. They will return to Pullman in the fall where the groom will be a senior at Washington State University.” (Mt. Adams Sun)
The lookout was removed in 1978.
Dymond Gap LO Ground House 1st Move:
After the lookout was destroyed in 1978, the ground house was purchased and the new owner moved it to his property near Glenwood. The first owner told us that he logged several trees and built a sled which he used to skid the cabin down the 1.9 mile lookout access road to the paved highway below. The road was so rocky that the logs were worn through by the time the sled was halfway down the hill. He cut another set of trees and rebuilt the sled. When he reached the paved highway, he attached wheels to the sled to convert it into a trailer which he towed to his place.
Dymond Gap LO Ground House 2nd Move:
The ground house was sold to a 2nd owner about ten years ago, but it was left at the 1st owner’s place. Then in late June, 1922 we received two short videos from the current owner with the message “First few feet on way to new home!”.
The ground house was moved to his son’s nearby property in the Glenwood Valley where he began renovation. We received a photo from him on September 25, 2022 with the message “Almost down on new foundation!”. His latest renovation progress report reads “It will be a slow progress, but I’ll keep you updated. Next a new roof to protect the building. One step at a time after that”.
4/10/23 UPDATE: The new owner has been continuing the renovation of the Ground House and has send us several progress reports with photos.
“Here is ground house in its final location. I have a guy lined up to put a new shingle roof on. A lot of tarps on it at the moment to avoid weather issues. ~ 12/10/2022.
“New cupboard doors.” ~ 2/14/2023
“New shutters in place. Working on interior cupboard and closet doors now.” ~ 1/25/2023.
Compare to the photo of the interior taken on our 6/17/2022 visit to the Dymond Gap ground house.
“Still waiting on contractor for new roof. Weather really hasn’t been very cooperative. As weather improves, I hope to get back to work.” ~ 4/10/2023 progress report by owner.
Our 6/17/2022 Visit to the Re-Located Dymond Gap LO Ground House
Since the ground house was still on the private property of the 1st owner, but was owned by a second person we had to get permission from both of them to visit the cabin. We contacted the current owner of the ground house and asked for his permission to visit and photograph it. He gave us his permission and arranged for our permission with the property owner. We met the current owner in Glenwood and spent much of the day with him as he guided us on our visits to the Dymond Gap LO Site, the Dymond Gap LO re-located ground house and another similar ground house near Trout Lake.
The re-located Dymond Gap was still on the 1st owner’s property near Glenwood when we visited it in 2022. We met the1st owner there and he described the method he had used to move the cabin.
The building was in need of a lot of Tender Loving Care. The roof was covered with a tarp and needed replacing. Some of the siding was missing.
Our 6/17/2022 Visit to the Dymond Gap Lookout Site
We drove to the Dymond Gap Lookout site. The 100’ wooden lookout tower had been replaced by a steel communications tower.
Our Visit to a Second Ground House ~ 6/17/2022
April 10. 2023 Update: Information from Alan Lawson and Harold Cole said that the Trout Lake Ground House had been located in Glenwood for a number of years. The knotty pine interior was the original material. When the building was sold and moved to Trout Lake, the roof had issues, thus the new metal roof. It is speculated that the Trout Lake building is newer than the re-located Dymond Gap Lookout Ground House.
We then visited a cabin in the nearby Trout Lake Valley that was almost identical to the Dymond Gap Lookout’s ground house living quarters. Re-hab work had been done on this cabin and it was in much better shape than the Dymond Gap one.
The Trout Lake cabin had been renovated and was in much better condition than the Dymond Gap ground house. It had a new weatherproof roof .
The Dymond Gap ground house needs a lot of work to reach the level of the cabin that we visited in the Trout Lake Valley. The owner has started the renovation work. In late September, 2022 he reported that he has moved the building and it was almost on its new foundation, that a new roof was next and that after that it will be slow progress.
