In 1921 the Forest Service began using a lookout tree on Red Mountain in the upper Cow Creek Valley to detect fires in the surrounding mountains and valleys. The tree was replaced by a cupola style lookout in 1928. This building was moved to its present site in the fall of 1985 and refurbished in 1986. Furnishings, such as the fire finder, used to locate the exact position of a fire, and the glass-legged lookout stool, for standing or sitting upon during lightning storms, were gathered from Forest Service sources and private donors.