The Hickory Ridge Lookout Tower is situated on Hickory Ridge in the Charles C. Deam Wilderness Area of Indiana’s Hoosier National Forest.
Indiana’s first fire tower was built in 1928 in Clark State Forest. During the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps constructed many additional towers. Following the establishment of the Hoosier National Forest in 1935, the demand for fire towers increased.
One of the key challenges in determining tower locations was the lack of detailed topographic maps. Indiana was among the few states that had not been fully mapped, so tower placement often relied on trial and error. After 20 towers were built, a visibility survey using precision instruments revealed that three needed to be relocated, some required extensions of up to 20 feet, and eleven additional towers were necessary.
By the early 1950s, Indiana had 33 fire lookout towers. However, changes in land use and advancements in aerial fire detection led to their gradual decline. By the late 1970s, most were no longer in use. In 1992, the Skyline Lookout Tower was added to the National Historic Lookout Register. Today, it is maintained by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources as an observation platform.
