Monjeau Lookout, Fire lookout tower in Lincoln County, United States.
Monjeau Lookout is a 14-by-14-foot native stone tower built in 1940 by the Civilian Conservation Corps in Lincoln National Forest, north of Ruidoso, New Mexico. The tower contains living quarters and is topped by a 7-by-7-foot metal-frame cab used for fire detection.
The building was completed in 1940 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal program that built public works across America. It was later added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The tower represents a time when people stationed at high vantage points watched over vast forest areas to detect fires early. This type of fire watch was an important duty for protecting the woodlands.
The lookout is accessible via a 9-kilometer gravel road through the National Forest, with parking and camping areas nearby along the route. Access is easiest in dry conditions, as the unpaved road becomes difficult during rain.
Monjeau Lookout was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 27 January 1988, and on the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties on 4 March 1988. The lookout stands north of Ruidoso at the end of a 5.5-mile gravel road, NF117, whose last mile is sometimes gated; when it is, visitors walk up the road to reach the tower.
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