If there was a single piece of furniture that could capture the unique experience of the wildfire lookout tower—it would certainly be the iconic “lighting stool.” Lighting stool plans were historically issued by the USFS to fire lookouts stationed in the PNW’s Region 6 as a matter of personal safety. The simple stools with their squat profiles and glass footings were designed to protect personnel from electrocution in the event of a direct lightning strike. Individuals would stand on their stool during dangerous electrical storm events, after unplugging any and all electric gadgets and radios. Outside the occasion of electrical storms, the stools were used as multi-functional furnishing; squat seat, step stool, omni ottoman, and storage unit.

Lookout personnel would often build (and adorn) their stools with found materials including scrap lumber, fabric, and rando hardware along with requisite upcycled glass-insulators from decommissioned electric telegraph lines. The design details and features of each stool speak to the personal interests, character, and “tower-art” craft of its creator. As such, no two lightning stools are alike, ever, despite a shared set of materials and government-issued plans. In contrast to the standardized bureaucratic design code, each stool performs as a singular narrative-based object with the embedded personal perspectives, values, and attitudes of its maker.

—David Buckley-Borden