NSA Crane - Indian Springs
US 1838, IN 18
Indian Springs fire tower at Crane from February 2025

Indian Springs fire tower at Crane from February 2025 - courtesy of Indiana Fire Towers (by Mark A)

Lookout Details

Registry Numbers US 1838, IN 18 (view other lookouts in United States, Indiana)
Date Registered August 2, 2026
Nominated by Jason Johns
Location Naval Weapons Station Crane
Martin County, Indiana
Coordinates N 38° 47.339' W 086° 47.473' (view using Google Maps)
N 38° 47' 20" W 086° 47' 28"
N 38.788980° W 086.791223°
Elevation 782 ft (238 m)
Administered by U.S. Navy

Description

According to Indianafiretowers.com.  In the 1930s, this area in Martin County was being called the White River Land Utilization Project as a project between the USDA Soil Conversation Service and the Indiana Department of Conservation. This area in Martin County becomes a naval ammunition facility as WW2 begins.

The southern Crane tower is the only one that seems to have a name (or two.) Indian Springs and Trinity Springs are both town names near the southern tower. I think both of these names have been applied to this southern tower. There is an NGS mark named INDIAN SPRINGS LOOKOUT TOWER (JA1932) referring to the southern-most of the Crane towers. I think this is fairly solid evidence that the southern tower was primarily named Indian Springs.

The name “Trinity Springs” is mentioned in the text on a USDA flyer about Hickory Ridge Lookout Tower: “The CCC camp, located in Kurtz, not only built the lookout tower at Hickory Ridge and Dutch Ridge, but also one at Trinity Springs.”

I have not see any names associated with the other three towers.

Map

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