Taken in May of 1953, Tom Parris who ran the Oxtongue Tower looks out from its wooden platform. The tower was dismantled in the early 1960s and moved to the ranger station at Bracebridge by High Falls where it served as a hose-drying tower.
Here is the open-faced Oxtongue Tower as it looked in 1959. It was only used temporarily as most full-time fire towers had covered cupolas so towermen could stay up there most of the day.
Here is Tom's cabin. What a lonely life. Notice the roof has caved in. My guess is that this was built in the 1920's. His little wood stove is still inside.