1910 fires

The US Forest Service has put together a web site that includes a great deal of information about the 1910 fires, sometimes known as the “Big Burn”, the huge fires that burned large areas of Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Canada. Here is a recently made map that shows some of the fires of 1910, at least the ones in Idaho and Montana. A more detailed version of the map is HERE, a 2 Mb pdf file.

1910 fires, part of the Big Burn

The USFS site also includes a schedule of events that commemorate the 1910 fires, including a conference in Spokane in October organized by the International Association of Wildland Fire.

But you don’t have to wait to start soaking in some of the history about the fires that occurred 100 years ago. The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula has opened an exhibit named “When the Mountains Roared: The Fire of 1910”. The museum describes it like this:

The great fires of 1910 transformed the face of the West, redefined the U.S. Forest Service, and created today’s forests. With objects, interactive components, and many never-before-seen photographs, this will be the biggest exhibit installation at the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula in several years.

The Missoulian has an article that describes the exhibit in much more detail. It appears to be a very worthwhile way to spend a couple of hours.

Thanks Dick

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Author: Bill Gabbert

After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire.

One thought on “1910 fires”

  1. I went to the opening of the exhibit yesterday, and it was really well done! The April 2011 Wildland Fire Safety Summit in Missoula will offer a tour of the exhibit as part of the post- Safety Summit tours and events.

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