1910 fires poster

The Missoulian has an article about a painting that the U.S. Forest Service has commissioned to commemorate the fires of 1910. It features a tree growing out of a Pulaski, or as the artist calls it, a “Treelaski”. Here is an excerpt from the article:

…The fire instantly transformed the role and policies of the U.S. Forest Service, a new agency at the time, which thereafter established an “all suppression, all the time” approach to wildfires that remained standard practice for decades.

“This single fire event changed things overnight socially, politically and for the forest resources across America,” said Rose Davis, a media liaison with the Forest Service and a member of the agency’s 1910 commemoration team. “It was a huge event for the Forest Service, but it was also a huge event for America as a whole.”

Yet surprisingly little visual evidence of those fires remains. Forests have regenerated; the burned-out town of Wallace, Idaho, was rebuilt; and only one photograph of the actual fires is known to exist.

So, to add a visual element to this year’s centennial commemoration of the wildfires of 1910, the Forest Service turned to Missoula artist Monte Dolack. On Saturday, at a ceremony at the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, Dolack unveiled “Fires of 1910: Heroes Heritage Renewal,” a commemorative painting and series of posters aimed at honoring the dozens of firefighters who lost their lives in those fires.

For Dolack, the commission was both a creative challenge, and a trip down memory lane.

“I actually worked for the Forest Service and used a Pulaski many years ago, while putting myself through college,” said Dolack. “So it was nice to work on a subject with which I had a little bit of personal history myself.”

…

Monte Dolack’s poster, “Fires of 1910: Heroes Heritage Renewal,” will be available at his downtown [Missoula] gallery, located at 139 W. Front St., and through the U.S. Forest Service. The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula continues its exhibition, “When the Mountains Roared: The Fire of 1910,” through Jan. 1, 2012.

HERE is a link to a video that features the artist, Dolack, interpreting the painting.

The International Association of Wildland Fire will have a conference in Spokane, WA October 25-29, 2010. Major topics of the conference will be the 1910 fires, reflections on lessons learned, and guidance on how to approach the future. The title is Beyond Fire Behavior and Fuels: Learning from the Past to Help Guide Us in the Future.

If anyone has information about how to obtain a copy of the poster through the U.S. Forest Service, let us know in a response or comment below.

Thanks Dick

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. View all posts by Bill Gabbert