Photos: Atascosa Peak fire lookout in 1967
Dorothy Williams was a U.S. Forest Service fire lookout at Atascosa Peak northwest of Nogales for the summer months of 1967.
The Atascosa Lookout, built between 1930 and 1933, was a 14-by-14-foot structure that served as an active fire-sighting post until the late 1970s. In that time period, improved aerial detection of fires led the U.S. Forest Service to stop staffing many lookouts.
It served as a summer roost for a string of solitary fire spotters, including the late author Edward Abbey, whose books included "Desert Solitaire" and "The Monkey Wrench Gang."
The lookout - sited on a 6,249-foot summit northwest of Nogales - was destroyed during the Murphy Complex Fire in 2011, which burned nearly 70,000 acres.
Photos © Arizona Daily Star or Tucson Citizen, where applicable
Atascosa Peak fire lookout in 1967
Dorothy Williams uses the fire finder to site a puff of smoke at the Atascosa Peak fire lookout northwest of Nogales, Ariz. in May, 1967.
Atascosa Peak fire lookout in 1967
Dorothy Williams had everything she needed for days at a time at the Atascosa Peak fire lookout northwest of Nogales, Ariz. in May, 1967.
Atascosa Peak fire lookout in 1967
Dorothy Williams kisses husband Don after he delivered supplies via horseback at the Atascosa Peak fire lookout northwest of Nogales, Ariz. in May, 1967.
Atascosa Peak fire lookout in 1967
Solitaire was one way to pass the time at the Atascosa Peak fire lookout northwest of Nogales, Ariz. in May, 1967. Note the holstered revolver at the ready above her head.
Atascosa Peak fire lookout in 1967
Toby, Dorothy's Rhodesian ridgeback, kept her company all Summer long at the Atascosa Peak fire lookout northwest of Nogales, Ariz. in May, 1967.
Atascosa Peak fire lookout in 1967
Dorothy Williams checks peaks and valleys of Coronado National Forest at the Atascosa Peak fire lookout northwest of Nogales, Ariz. in May, 1967.
Atascosa Peak fire lookout in 1967
Dorothy Williams talks with the US Forest Service dispatcher via portable radio at the Atascosa Peak fire lookout northwest of Nogales, Ariz. in May, 1967.
Atascosa Peak fire lookout in 1967
Dorothy Williams at the Atascosa Peak fire lookout northwest of Nogales, Ariz. in May, 1967.
Atascosa Peak fire lookout in 1967
Dorothy Williams at the Atascosa Peak fire lookout northwest of Nogales, Ariz. in May, 1967.
Atascosa Peak fire lookout
Jim Jordan, a member of the Green Valley Hiking Club, stands at the top of the Atascosa Peak fire lookout on January 7, 2006. Jordan was part of many people who in recent years worked to restore the lookout northwest of Nogales.
Atascosa Peak fire lookout
A helicopter drops water on the Murphy Fire which is burning in the Tumacacori Mountains near Tubac (TUBAC cq), Ariz., Friday, June 3, 2011.
Rick Wiley
Photo editor
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