Old Fire Lookout Towers Find Renewed Purpose

There's a small wooden cabin at the top of Northwest Peak, a few miles from Montana's borders with Idaho and Canada, and Chuck Manning, 79, believes lookouts like this one deserve a second chance at being useful.

The fire lookout sits about 7,700 feet above sea level and seems in good condition despite being abandoned since 1955, when the Forest Service last staffed the outpost.

Manning leads the Northwest Montana Lookout Association, a nonprofit group that supports government agencies in restoring and maintaining lookout towers around Kootenai and Flathead National forests.

The Forest Service...