** Please Note: The gate at the base of the fire tower is locked between the months of November - March. You can still log this virtual during these months assuming you make the hike to the base of the tower, but you will only be able to enjoy the full experience during the months of April - October when the tower is unlocked **
The Elba Fire Tower construction started in 1933 by the CCC and became operational in 1936. It is the farthest south of Minnesota's fire towers. No longer manned by the State Division of Forestry, the lookout is located on DNR land adjacent to Whitewater State Park, in Elba, Minnesota, high on a bluff overlooking the town. The 110-foot tower, with a 7- by 7-ft. cab, was transferred to the Division of State Parks for restoration and use as an interpretive site.
Most of Minnesota's forestry fire lookouts were constructed during the era of the 3 C's, the Civilian Conservation Corps, a project of Franklin D. Roosevelt's "National Recovery Act" of the 1930's. Thousands of young men were put to work doing projects across the country.
Originally, the tower was manned during the spring and fall. Over time, it fell out of use as newer approaches to fire management were developed. Today, fires can be detected more economically by plane. Better public communication today also allows rapid reporting of fires.
In 1995, an effort coordinated by the Elba Booster Club, restored access to the tower. Today it is an educational, recreational, and environmental resource open to the public. At the site you'll see that many diverse groups came together to make this happen. There are many high-quality interpretive signs along the way.
This is a bit of a strenuous hike, 600 stairs to climb to get to the base of the tower and then another couple hundred steps to get to the top of the tower. You may want to bring some water along!
To Log this virtual cache, please post a picture of yourself on or next to the fire tower. You are not required to climb the tower to log this virtual but I recommend climbing if you want the full experience!
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.
Sources
https://coord.info/GC18RD3
http://nhlr.org/lookouts/us/mn/elba-fire-tower/
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/whitewater/things_to_do.html