Bob Frakes

2 more old friends are sold

Back in the summer of 2019, 13 forest lookout towers cleared “historical review” which cleared the way for disposal by the Missouri Department of Conservation.  This meant that in the estimation of the company doing that review, they did not merit enough historical importance to warrant saving.  The towers were Potosi (tower sold with site),…

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Mystery tower, Coda?

By Bob Frakes I have written twice now in regard to the mystery tower above Little Antire Creek that showed on several topography maps.  This was called to my attention by Kevin Meyer and Chris Polka.  My second article on the subject noted that I was contacted by Gary Strohmeyer after seeing the piece in…

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Shedding some light

By Bob Frakes You will recall I wrote a piece in The River Hills Traveler recently about a tower that showed on an old topography map.  It sat above Little Antire Creek south of I-44 near several Scout facilities. I have had lots of luck getting answers by putting it out there in the River…

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A Florida tower moves north

Today, it seems some want to move south to the “Sun Belt.” But thanks to some help and ingenuity from Irwin Zimmerman of Rutledge, Missouri, the fire tower from near Benton, Florida, has turned the table. Irwin, like many including myself, has held a longtime fascination with the towers. My interest first showed over half…

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