Mount Nimham Explained

Mount Nimham
Elevation Ref:[1]
Location:NW of Carmel, Putnam County, New York, U.S.
Coordinates:41.4612°N -73.7251°W
Topo:USGS Lake Carmel
Map:New York#USA

Mount Nimham is a 1273-tallNaN-tall mountain in Hudson Highlands of New York. It is located northwest of Carmel in Putnam County. Nimham Mountain is named after Chief Daniel Nimham of the Wappinger tribe. In 1940, an 82feet steel fire lookout tower was built on the mountain. The tower ceased fire lookout operations at the end of the 1988 fire lookout season and was officially closed the next year. The tower appears on the National Historic Lookout Register and is still open to the public.

History

Nimham Mountain was named after Chief Daniel Nimham of the Wappinger tribe. The name was recently changed from "Ninham" to "Nimham" to correct a long-standing spelling error. In 1940, the Civilian Conservation Corps Camp P-135 of Peekskill constructed an 82feet International Derrick steel fire lookout tower on the mountain. The tower was first staffed for fire lookout purposes in 1941, reporting 73 fires and 266 visitors. Due to the increased use of aerial fire detection, the tower ceased fire lookout operations at the end of the 1988 fire lookout season. The tower was officially closed in early 1989 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. In the mid-1990s, the town of Kent organized volunteers to restore the tower. The restoration work was completed in Spring 2005, with an official dedication ceremony on July 24, 2005. The tower appears on the National Historic Lookout Register; it is one of only a few towers in New York that still has the manufacturers identification tag, which reads: "THE INTERNATIONAL DERRICK & EQUIPMENT Company (IDECO) Columbus, Ohio - Los Angeles."[2]

Notes and References

  1. 958590. Mount Nimham. December 11, 2021.
  2. Web site: Searchable list of NY Fire Towers . nysffla.org . The New York State Chapter of the Forest Fire Lookout Association . December 11, 2021.