Blyn Lookout re-located to Beausite Lake

RE-LOCATED BLYN LO CAB

Lookout Site Regions: Origin Site ~ WA Coast, Re-LO Site ~ WA Coast

While the Blyn Lookout move might be considered a mix of Type 2 and Type 1 re-location,  it best fits a Type 2 definition ~ Lookouts which were transferred to private ownership and re-located on to private property.  The Blyn Lookout was first established in 1934 two miles SE of the town of Blyn on a 1966’ high point.  This was replaced by the DNR in 1960 and then the live-in cab of this second lookout was moved to private property at Beausite Lake in the 1970s.

Quoting the FFLA’s website entry: “Built in 1934, the first lookout on this site was a 90′ pole tower with 8×8′ cab and ground house living quarters.  It was replaced in 1960 by a 40′ timber DNR tower. The cab and top 10′ of the tower were moved to Beausite Lake in the 1970’s.”

The Beausite Lake property was privately owned by several owners during the period between 1924 and 1989.  The last private owner, Robert Anderson, bought it in 1972 and probably was the purchaser and owner of the Blyn Lookout Cab.  Anderson later sold the land in 1989.  Jefferson County bought the property, probably in 1989, and now calls it the Beausite Lake County Park.

In 1989 the Sequim Kiwanis Club began sponsoring a camping program for adults and children with special needs.  The first four years the camps were held in other Olympic Peninsula campgrounds.   Four other Kiwanis clubs joined the program in 1993 and the Northwest Kiwanis Camp was incorporated by the five.  Jefferson County then offered the Northwest Kiwanis a 50 year lease of the county’s 55 acre Beausite Lake Park.  The lease was signed in 1994 and the NW Kiwanis, now officially renamed Camp Beausite NW, manages the park.  The Camp Beausite website contains the following information: “Camp Beausite NW, originally known as the NW Kiwanis Camp, has been providing camp services to adults and children with disabilities for over 25 years. …….. We currently provide seven week-long overnight summer camp sessions for 180+ adults and children with special needs.” 

The move from Blyn to Lake Beausite was short.
A 40′ timber DNR tower was built on a 1966′ high point 2 miles SE of Blyn. (We found no photos of this LO. The photo is of a similar tower on Octopus Mtn.
The Blyn LO cab was moved to private property at Beausite Lake in the 1970s and placed atop a 10′ base there.
We visited Camp Beausite and the re-located Blyn LO on 3/26/2021.

The re-located LO cab was still there on the camp grounds. It was in fair shape for a 60′ year old building, but obviously needed some attention and tender loving care.

Catwalk decking was being replaced.
Ralph climbed to the catwalk and took in the view.
Bracing had been added to keep the catwalk from collapsing on one side.
None of the fire-finding equipment was inside the cab. The floor was in fair shape.
The 1st level was being used for storage. Peggy stood in front of the doors to this level.

We had visited the Blyn Lookout site, the Origin Site for this re-location, on June 4, 2012. The fire lookout had been replaced by communication towers and buildings.

The only lookout artifacts left were the concrete footing blocks.
Peggy stood on one of the footings to look for a view. The trees that had grown and the fog blocked any view that remained.
It was a wet and foggy day. The communication towers were all we could see.
Ralph also checked the non-existant view.
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By hiker99ralph

I am a long time hiker and more recently have added lookout chasing to the hiking hobby. I served as a lookout fireman at the Hoodoo Lookout in the Blue Mountains in the summers of 1957 and 1958. I got away from lookouts after that until retiring when I started chasing lookouts.