DRAKE
Missouri Lookouts - Gasconade County - Missouri Conservation Commission - 43N-5W-2
FY 1950-51: A 11.36 acre towersite was acquired. (Missouri Conservation Commission Annual Report)
FY1952-53: A new tower was erected at the Drake towersite. (Missouri Conservation Commission Annual Report FY 1952-53)
October 22, 1953: "Early Sunday morning residents in the Stonyhill community were awakened by the smoke of burning leaves. As dawn approached cloud layers of smoke as dense as the heaviest fog covered fields and valleys but it was not until nearly 9 o'clock that the origin of the fire was located.
It was then that the Ranger at the Drake lookout tower spotted what he said looked like a burning flue. He raced to the location shown by his instruments and found that the fire had already burned over nearly 10 acres of woodlands most of which belong to Wm. Schuite. Part of the fire had burned itself out during the night and the rest was just smoldering.
It was thought that the fire was started from some careless hunters making a fire inside a large, hollow green tree. It burned until the tree burned off falling to the ground which started the woods fire. This tree was found still blazing by the forest rangers." (New Haven Leader)