Burning Passion For Fire Lookouts Turns Back Yard Into ‘Museum’

Fire lookouts in the nation’s forests usually stand a hundred feet tall, towering above the tree-packed landscape.

Ray Kresek’s lookout perches six feet above the lawn and overlooks the kitchen window.

But step into Kresek’s back yard, and suddenly the roar of traffic from surrounding highways is softened by a gurgling stream. Squirrels frolic, birds dart … and, wait - is that the whiff of a campfire?

Over three decades, Kresek has gradually transformed his suburban yard - once a span of lawn and the family vegetable garden - into a miniature national forest.

The crown jewel is a restored 1933 lookout tower that was lovingly recreated using parts from the last seven lookouts of its type.

Fire lookouts are more than a pastime for Kresek, 59. They’re his passion.

“I love going up and exploring old lookouts that have been abandoned for years,” he says.

His fascination has filled his back yard forest with firefighting memorabilia, and resulted in the publication of two books.

Tour groups, schoolchildren and Scouts trek through Kresek’s collection regularly. He estimates that 200 visitors stroll through his “museum” each year. Even ABC News crews visited a few years ago while taping a special on the history of fire lookouts.

“It wouldn’t be nearly as much fun without the people coming to visit,” Kresek says.

Neighbors, far from disturbed by the procession, say Kresek’s tribute to forestry is a neat addition to the block of 1950s-vintage houses.

“It’s absolutely glorious,” says neighbor Jeanne Ward. “It’s nice to see people interested in protecting the environment, which he definitely is. He has very polite people on his tours; they don’t bother us at all.”

Next to the back yard lookout is a 1936 Conservation Corps guard station jammed with every imaginable bit of equipment needed to battle wildfires.

Kresek, a retired city of Spokane firefighter, eagerly guides guests through the thousands of items. He gently lifts each treasure, telling by heart the story behind the piece.

There are rows of colorful hardhats representing 75 different agencies, a 1912 canteen, a 1908 lantern.

Visitors do a double-take walking past the 1950s-era smokejumper mannequin, looking like he’s just dropped to the ground, wrapped in his parachute.

The collection wouldn’t be complete without the shiny red 1953 firetruck Kresek brought home from a city auction.

“It is so awesome,” said Linda Schulte, a public affairs specialist for the U.S. Forest Service and a regular visitor to the backyard museum. “The lookout is my favorite. It’s just wonderful what he’s done,” she says.

Inside his house, Kresek fills a room with his Smokey Bear collection. On display are stuffed versions, two full-size Smokey costumes, Smokey records, coloring books, posters, salt shakers - nearly 3,000 items.

But it’s the lore of the lookouts that enchants Kresek. When he was 4 years old, he clambered to the top of his first, tagging along with his dad who serviced them. He was hooked. He estimates he’s visited more than 1,000 since then. At age 16, he spent a summer as a fire lookout, then repeated the experience 35 years later with his wife, Rita.

Thirty years ago there were more than 3,000 lookout towers in the Northwest, proliferating during the 1920s and ‘30s. Today there are fewer than 600. They faded out after World War II when airplanes and better radio communication improved the efficiency of spotting and dousing fires.

But to Kresek, the lookouts remain a crucial and colorful part of history.

“They were the backbone of the forest protection system,” he says.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo