Old Fire Tower in Saint-Remi-d'Amherst

Old Fire Tower in Saint-Remi-d'Amherst

In 1907, the Forestry Protection Division began to develop an ingenious early detection system for forest fires. This involved the installation of towers on various high summits with good views in all directions.

The first of these fire towers was built in 1912, with each tower being put up in much the same way. With a steel superstructure, they could attain a height of up to 25 meters, with a 2-meter octagonal cabin on top. The communication system was a telephone linked via landline to the nearest village. The cabin on each tower was equipped with a chair, a map of the territory to be covered, an azimuth-circle (a tool something like a compass), an alidade, binoculars and forms the fire warden had to fill in. At the bottom of the tower was a camp built of wood, without water or electricity, containing a bed, a wood stove, a washbasin, a chair and a rocking chair, as well as various equipment needed for his work.

The tower at Saint-Rémi was erected around 1930. After WW2, there were some 500 to 600 fire towers in Québec.

The tower at Saint-Rémi was purchased by the municipality in 1987 and restored in 1996. As such, it is one of the last towers still standing. It can be reached by a trail that has been built and maintained by the municipality on the chemin Saint-Louis. However, it is forbidden to climb the tower. 

819 681-3372
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Rue Saint-Louis,
Amherst, (Qc)
J0T 2L0

Rue Saint-Louis,
Amherst, (Qc)
J0T 2L0

819 681-3372
Contact
Visitez le site

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