Built in 1939. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
“The McCart Fire Lookout, near Sula, Montana, was built in 1939. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.”
Wikipedia article McCart Fire Lookout, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 92 National Register listings published here for Ravalli County · listed in 1996 · category: Structure · built in 1939.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 110 fires within 5 miles of McCart Fire Lookout between 1992 and 2020, burning about 767 acres in total. 102 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Natural | 102 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 2 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 1999 | Natural | 20 acres | Bitterroot National Forest | CLIFFORD |
| 4 September 2019 | Natural | 130 acres | Bitterroot National Forest | BALSAM |
| 4 September 2019 | Natural | 50 acres | Bitterroot National Forest | CARMINE |
| 4 September 2006 | Recreation and ceremony | 4.0 acres | Bitterroot National Forest | LANDING |
| 26 September 2003 | Natural | under an acre | Bitterroot National Forest | KHALL CREEK |
| 24 September 2003 | Natural | under an acre | Bitterroot National Forest | SQUAREMONT |
| 19 September 2003 | Natural | under an acre | Bitterroot National Forest | MEADOW CREEK |
| 14 September 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | under an acre | Bitterroot National Forest | MILE MARKER 11 |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 6 workings within 5 miles of McCart Fire Lookout: 3 occurrences, 1 unknown, 1 prospect, 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Silver, Iron, Titanium, Metal, Zirconium, Gold, Silver, Beryllium, Molybdenum. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art L. Wildey | Beryllium | Occurrence | ||
| Logger Bugle Ridge Group | Silver, Beryllium, Copper | Past Producer | ||
| Logger Claims Group | Gold, Silver, Beryllium, Molybdenum, Copper, Lead | Occurrence | Vein | |
| Logger No. 1 Claim | Gold, Molybdenum, Silver | Unknown | ||
| Meadow Creek | Iron, Titanium, Metal, Zirconium | Occurrence | Placer | |
| Bugle | Silver | Prospect |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Sula, the town this property stands in, in 23 storm reports between 2000 and 2025: 12 hail, 4 flash flood, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 debris flow. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2025 | Debris Flow | Sula | $10,000 | The Bitterroot National Forest has issued a safety alert for a debris flow across Forest Road 724 near the East Fork Trailhead. The debris flow occurred within the 2024 Johnson Wildfire burn scar after a short, intense storm dropped a radar-estimated 0.41 inches of rain in just 15 minutes, and around 0.51 inches in less than an hour. |
| July 2025 | Debris Flow | Sula | $500 | Radar-estimated rainfall of 1.77 inches fell in one and a half hours and triggered a debris flow that covered the East Fork Road, east of Sula, at Mile-marker 4. |
| September 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sula | - | Thunderstorm outflow winds were observed, with a radar estimated time of 2:47 pm MDT. Minor structural damage to the Incident Command Post for the Johnson Fire but no injuries. |
| July 2022 | Hail | Sula | - | A report of 1 diameter hail was received just east of Sula, MT. |
| August 2020 | Hail | Sula | - | A strong thunderstorm dropped large hail on U.S. Highway 93 between Conner and Sula. Quarter to half dollar size hail was reported near Sula, MT. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sula | - | A RAWS station east of Sula recorded 66 mph winds. |
| May 2017 | Hail | Sula | - | Resident reported mostly nickel-sized hailstones, with a few quarter-sized hailstones mixed in. No evidence of damage to property was seen. Resident estimated wind speeds with the storm outflow at 40 to 50 mph. Frequent lightning was also reported. |
| October 2011 | Heavy Rain | Sula | - | A spotter in Sula reported 1.00 inches of rain in 12 hours. |
| July 2010 | Hail | Sula | - | The Sula Lookout station reported 50 mph wind gusts with nickle sized hail. This observation was taken at an elevation of 6191 feet. |
| July 2010 | Hail | Sula | - | A trained spotter reported heavy rain with hail. |
| August 2009 | Hail | Sula | - | A motorist traveling over Lost Trail Pass observed nickel and quarter sized hail while traveling over the Montana side of the pass. |
| July 2008 | Hail | Sula | - | Fire lookout at 6629 feet reported 0.75 inch hail. |
| August 2004 | Hail | Sula | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Hail | Sula | - | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Hail | Sula | - | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Flash Flood | Sula | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sula | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Sula | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Sula | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Flash Flood | Sula | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Flash Flood | Sula | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Flash Flood | Sula | - | no account filed |
| August 2000 | Wildfire | Sula | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 96000660 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Ravalli County | All 92 listed properties in this county. |
Block