Adirondack Fire Towers: Their History and Lore--The Northern Divisions

New York State lost tens of thousands of acres of woodland to fires in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. With no vegetation to hold rain-soaked soil on devastated slopes, great floods resulted. In response, the state began to erect fire towers in 1916, and they became destinations for generations of hikers fascinated by the views the towers afforded and by the stories told by observers. Made obsolete by aerial surveillance and modern communication, today some abandoned towers have been or are being restored for the benefit of hikers.Podskoch, Martin is the author of 'Adirondack Fire Towers: Their History and Lore--The Northern Divisions', published 2005 under ISBN 9781930098671 and ISBN 1930098677.