The tower ceased fire lookout operations and then officially closed in early 1989.

In 1940, the Civilian Conservation Corps Camp S-106 of Salamanca, New York built an 82-foot-6-inch-tall (25.15 m) International Derrick steel fire lookout tower on the mountain.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) officially closed the tower in early 1989.

Beginning in 1987, the tower hosted repeater antennae for the Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO).

[2] The state offers mountain biking, camping, hiking (via the Finger Lakes Trail), horseback riding, snowmobiling during winter months, and hunting; the southern portion of the state forest includes a geological formation of large boulders resembling a city, hence the Rock City name.