The Last Remaining Fire Tower in Michigan’s Mitten

WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter this property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.

The only fire tower in Michigan’s mitten is the Udell Fire Observation Tower. It is the last remaining tower of a total of four that were located in the Manistee National Forest.

Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936 at one hundred feet tall, the grounds also included a home for the tower keeper and his family. Unfortunately for any future keepers, the home and its structures were removed in the 1940s. Why? It made perfect sense to have them there, making the job more attractive.

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The tower’s usefulness came to an end after almost thirty years, shutting down in the mid-1960s. Again, why? Fires still happened, didn’t they?

The job itself entailed climbing to the top, sitting there, enjoying the beautiful scenic view, and keeping a watchful eye, reporting any fires that would otherwise destroy the gorgeous landscape. These days, a fire tower keeper would probably be too fixated on the cellphone to keep a constant vigil. That’s a shame.

The Udell tower is the last of its kind in lower Michigan and has been entered in the National Register of Historic Places. All others in the mitten have been destroyed thanks to fire observations now made by planes.....and drones.

Thinking of climbing the tower? It’s illegal. Barbed wire has been installed to keep trespassers away. There is a hiking trail that will lead you to the tower for visiting and photo purposes, but not for climbing.