West Mountain (Hamilton County, New York)

West Mountain
West Mountain Location of West Mountain within New York West Mountain West Mountain (the United States)
Highest point
Elevation	2,923 feet (891 m)
Coordinates	43°51′36″N 74°42′22″W
Geography
Location	NW of Raquette Lake, Hamilton County, New York, U.S.
Topo map	USGS Raquette Lake

West Mountain is a 2,923-foot-tall (891 m) mountain located in Adirondack Mountains of New York. It is located in the northwest of the hamlet of Raquette Lake in Hamilton County. In 1920, the Conservation Commission built a 47-foot-tall (14 m) fire lookout tower on the mountain. Due to aerial detection, the tower ceased fire lookout operations at the end of the 1970 season. The tower was later removed, and portions of the tower along with the tower from Kempshall Mountain were used to build the tower that is at the Essex County Historical Museum in Elizabethtown.

History

The first structure built on the mountain was a 14-foot-tall (4.3 m) wooden tower. In 1920, the Conservation Commission (CC) replaced it with a 47-foot-tall (14 m) Aermotor LS40 tower. The CC hired local woodsman and guide Billy Payne and his ox Tommy to transport the steel from the railroad station in Raquette Lake to the mountain. Due to aerial detection which was better, the tower ceased fire lookout operations at the end of the 1970 season. The tower was later removed because of this and also because it was deemed a "non-conforming" structure in the newly established Pigeon Lake Wilderness Area. Portions of the tower along with the tower from Kempshall Mountain were used to build the tower that is at the Essex County Historical Museum in Elizabethtown.