{"nrhp_refnum":"96000354","name":"Crane Flat Fire Lookout","other_names":["Building 6202"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"N of Big Oak Flat Rd., near Crane Cr., Yosemite National Park","address_restricted":false,"city":"Aspen Valley","county":"Mariposa County","state":"CA","lat":37.759515951000026,"lon":-119.82031746899997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1996-04-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Conservation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story Rustic frame fire lookout set on a knoll near Crane Flat in Yosemite National Park, Mariposa County, California, at about 6,600 feet elevation. It was designed by the National Park Service Landscape Division, with the site planned by John Wosky, and completed in 1933.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is locally significant in conservation and architecture. It was the first fire lookout built by the National Park Service in Yosemite and illustrates the development of federal fire policy. It is also an early, excellent example of NPS Rustic design and was included in a 1932 portfolio of representative park structures.","narrative":"Perched on a knoll near Crane Flat in Yosemite National Park, this two-story fire lookout sits at about 6,600 feet and offers a panoramic view. Its first story, eighteen feet square, was built as a garage and now stores equipment. Above it, a fourteen-foot-square glass-walled observatory holds the original cast iron stove and fire finder. The building has a granite foundation, lap and shingle siding, a surrounding catwalk and an overhanging hipped roof. It was designed by the National Park Service Landscape Division, with John Wosky planning the site. Completed in 1933, it was the first fire lookout the Park Service built in Yosemite and grew out of a fire protection plan developed with John D. Coffman. It is also an excellent example of Rustic design, using native stone and timber to blend with its setting, and was featured in a 1932 portfolio of model park structures. A 1977 shed addition is slated for removal. The lookout remains in use today.","period_of_significance":"1931","architect_builder":"National Park Service Landscape Division; Wosky, John, landscape architect","architectural_style":"OTHER/Rustic","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still used as a fire lookout and as a base for helitack crews; restoration is planned, including removal of a 1977 addition and lean-to.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.599325-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_AL/96000354.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000354/c1b7a0db44-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/96000354/c1b7a0db44-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"National Park Service","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crane_Flat_Fire_Lookout.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">National Park Service</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crane_Flat_Fire_Lookout.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/77835410","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crane_Flat_Fire_Lookout","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5182018"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/mariposa-county/crane-flat-fire-lookout-96000354/"}