Idaho
Fire lookouts have a long history to help fight wildfires in Idaho
BOISE, Idaho — The Boise National Forest continues to use fire lookouts today as they have around eight staffed lookouts during wildfire season, these lookouts have also played a pivotal role in the history of fighting wildfire.
The story begins in 1908 when the Boise National Forest service started. A forest supervisor was walking towards a wildfire when he ran into Harry Shellworth who was working for the Boise Payette Lumber Company.
“At that time they both saw the need to defend our wild areas from fire. They set up a gentlemen’s agreement and it spurred on the Southern Idaho Timber Protective Association.”
Virginia Clifton, a historian and archeologist with the Boise National Forest.
This partnership would build the first fire lookout in the area in 1908 on top of Bald Mountain, today it is called the Thorn Creek Lookout.
“It has been rebuilt, it is still standing and it is staffed. For the most part we have rebuilt a lot of our lookouts since the 1930s since the Civilian Conservation Corps came about.”
Clifton
The CCC was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 as a means to get out of the great depression. Harry Shellworth saw an opportunity and went to Washington D.C. to advocate for CCC funding in Idaho.
“Behind California Idaho was the most densely populated with CCC folks and CCC camps,” said Clifton. “With that came a lot of construction of lookouts.”
The Shafer Butte Lookout had already been built in 1925, but the Quartzfire of 1931 ended up scorching much of the Boise Boise. The Civilian Conservation Corps went to work building the Boise Ridge Road as a fire break and for another access point to the lookout.
It’s still standing on top of what is now Bogus Basin Ski Resort. In total there were 163 CCC camps in Idaho with 20,000 people working on a variety of projects including lookouts that were now located all over Idaho on the top of mountain peaks.
“I think part of the reason why Idaho has a history of so many lookouts across the entire state and not just the Boise National Forest is because of our terrain. Our terrain is so steep and so rugged that it makes communications with fire managers outside of lookouts a lot more challenging.”
Clifton
Fire lookouts have always been the best way to catch a wildfire when it’s small. New technology has emerged including cameras and artificial intelligence to detect smoke, but people still man some of the lookouts in the Boise National Forest.
Many of the lookouts have been rebuilt from their earlier days while some like the Deadwood Lookout is available for people to rent out and stay in. That lookout earned a designation on the National Register of Historic Places, it’s also under threat right now from the Nellie Fire.
Idaho also has others that qualify for that designation like the Danskin Peak Lookout built in 1941 and Virginia Clifton is working to help preserve these historic lookouts.
“It’s been my goal since I started with the Boise National Forest in 2016. I want to get all of our lookouts recorded and documented, not all of them are and we need to get all of them evaluated for the National Register of Historic Places.”
Clifton
If you want to learn more about how lookouts work and the value they provide here is a story we did on the Danskin Lookout.
MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho (CBS2) — A joint investigation by the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office and the Mountain Home Police Department has led to the arrest of a man accused of multiple sexual offenses in Elmore County and the city of Mountain Home.
An arrest warrant was issued on June 10, 2026, for Dillon Thorpe following an investigation conducted by Elmore County Sheriff’s Office detectives. Thorpe was taken into custody on June 11, 2026, on a warrant by the Idaho State Police.
Thorpe is charged with rape, child enticement, lewd conduct with a minor, and sexual abuse of a child under the age of 16.
Authorities said additional details about the investigation will not be released at this time because of the nature of the crimes and to protect the privacy of victims and witnesses.
Law enforcement believes there may be additional suspected victims and/or witnesses who have not yet been identified. Anyone with information or evidence relevant to the investigation is encouraged to contact the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office or the Mountain Home Police Department to make a report.
DENVER (KDVR) — Three Colorado motorcyclists died on Tuesday in northern Idaho after a pickup truck driver, also from Colorado, hit all three while trying to pass another vehicle, according to the Idaho State Police.
The crash happened at about 4 p.m. Tuesday outside the town of Kooskia on U.S. 12, police said. The pickup truck driver, identified as a 60-year-old Colorado Springs woman, was headed west on the highway when she crossed the double yellow line in a no-passing zone while trying to pass another vehicle.
She then collided head-on with the three motorcycles that were headed east on the highway.
The three motorcyclists died at the scene. The Idaho County Coroner identified the motorcyclists as: Ethan Powers, 35, of Timnath, Jeremy Coleman, 45 of Berthoud, and Nathan McCormick, 26, of Loveland.
The Colorado Fraternal Order of Police later identified Coleman and Powers as a sergeant and deputy with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office and McCormick as Coleman’s son-in-law.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, friends, coworkers, and the members of FOP Lodge 4 as they face the difficult days ahead,” the union said. “The law enforcement profession is built on service, sacrifice, and commitment to others. Sgt. Coleman and Deputy Powers dedicated their lives to protecting their community, and their impact will continue to be felt by those who had the privilege of serving alongside them.”
The truck driver was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation before being released then arrested. She was booked into the Idaho County Jail on probable cause for three counts of vehicular manslaughter, police said.
The following is a press release from the Idaho State Police:
The Idaho State Police (ISP) is investigating a three-fatality crash that occurred at approximately 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, on U.S. Highway 12 near milepost 113 east of Kooskia.
The preliminary investigation indicates a 2019 Ford F-150 was traveling westbound on U.S. Highway 12 when the driver attempted to pass another vehicle in a marked no-passing zone. The pickup crossed the double yellow centerline and collided with three motorcycles traveling eastbound.
The three motorcyclists sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene.
The 60-year-old female driver of the Ford, from Colorado Springs, Colorado, was transported to a local hospital for medical evaluation. Following her release, she was arrested and booked into the Idaho County Jail on probable cause for three counts of vehicular manslaughter.
The Idaho County Coroner’s Office will identify the deceased and determine the cause and manner of death.
U.S. Highway 12 was closed for approximately six and one-half hours while emergency responders assisted at the scene and investigators processed evidence.
ISP was assisted by the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office, the Idaho County Coroner’s Office, the Idaho Transportation Department, and local fire and EMS personnel.
The crash remains under investigation.
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