Construction of the tower began in 1936 under the auspices of the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Originally there was a cabin or guard station, a latrine, and a garage built on the site.

[1] The tower was staffed during periods of high fire danger for approximately 40 years.

One of these fires, one of the largest on record for the area, came within half a mile (800 meters) of the tower before it was stopped.

It was added to the National Historic Lookout Register in October 1990, the first such tower in Indiana to be listed.