The Tolmie Peak fire lookout was built in 1933 according to the typical National Park style two-story structure. The upper level houses a lookout station with storage at the ground level. The design was prepared under the supervision of Edwin A. Nickel of the NPS Branch of Plans and Designs. 

Tolmie was named after William Fraser Tolmie, a member of Hudson’s Bay Company who spent several months living at Fort Nisqually in the early 1800s. Tolmie set out on a botany excursion up the Puyallup River Valley with Native American guides, subsequently becoming the first non-native to set foot inside the present day boundaries of Mount Rainier National Park. Tolmie was known for building strong relationships with indigenous peoples.

The Tolmie fire lookout was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in March 1991 and is sometimes volunteer staffed in the summer.