Forest River

Forest River

Forest Fire 1910 - A look inside the gates of hell

The fire of 1910 was the largest forest fire in American history, perhaps in history the world. Now, almost one hundred years later, the blackened ghosts giant cedars are mute witness to the devastation and death that rode the wild winds August.

In just over 48 hours horrible, from the afternoon of Saturday, August 20, the raging inferno consumed more than 8 billion feet of virgin timber buttresses 3 million acres in western Montana and northern Idaho, killed 78 firefighters and 8 civilians and decimated 13.5 million dollars of personal property. Other fires foresters have been more deadly, but none moved as wildly or swiftly across a vast desert wood framing as did the great fire of 1910.

Accounts of the firestorm to mention Edward Stahl, a forester, who wrote that shot flames hundreds of feet into the night sky "struck by a wind so violent tornadoes that leveled the flames ahead .... falling to earth in great curves of darts, a real true red demon from hell. "

The winds speed guns turned in crematoria. Of the 86 deaths, 28 or 29 firefighters - the story is clear - tried to escape from his death only to be trapped in a vertical barrel.

Hysterical, in a state of confusion and shock, the men fled for their lives, the caustic smoke burning lungs and obstructed vision. The fires, dense smoke and intense heat, blinding, and the crackling flames were inescapable. Many men, too terrified to face death by fire, took their own lives by gunshot. A man jumped from a train on fire. Two firefighters were surrendered to their fate and simply walked in the flames that his companions watched in horror from which they had sought refuge in the overhang of one side of the creek.

Eyewitness accounts describe the terror that experienced by people who fought the fire of 1910 and lived to tell. A survivor told a reporter of a newspaper, "The fire was returned and men in trees torches strange that erupted Roman candles. "

Extracts Ranger Edward Pulaski accounting of Pleasure Creek fire, near Wallace, Idaho. Pulaski was a Ranger in the Coeur d'Alene National Forest in 1910.

His personnel file included this assessment, written by his boss, Forest Supervisor, WG Weigle: "The Lord of Pulaski is a most excellent man of sense, conservative, familiar with the region, having prospected through the region from twenty-five years ago. It is considered by the ancients as one of the safest and best men to be put in charge of a crew of men in the hills. "

"True to form, Pulaski Ranger guided his crew through the darkness and a raging inferno driven by hurricane-force winds, security War Eagle Tunnel Mine. In the years following the fire, which was feted for his heroism, perhaps in part because it was the vision of each of what a hero must taken as. He bore a striking resemblance to the actor, Gregory Peck, was three meters, had steel blue eyes, and gave a dominant presence in its footsteps. "

"Some weeping, some praying" - The timbers of mines in the mouth of the tunnel caught fire, as he stood at the entrance and hung wet blankets over the opening, trying to keep the flames of new filling my hat with water, which fortunately was in the mine, and throwing burning wood. The men were in a state of panic of fear, some crying, some praying. Many of them soon became unconscious from the terrible heat, smoke and gas fire ... I also finally sank into unconsciousness. I do not know how long I was in this condition, but it must have been an hour. I remember hearing a man say: "Come outside, children, the boss is dead. I replied: "Like hell it is." I got up and felt the cool air circulating through the mine. All the men were becoming aware. It was five in the morning ... "

"The shoes we had to burn our way through the burning of records and smoking debris. When walking, we have not tracked in our hands and knees. How we got hardly know. We were in a sorry state, all us hurt or burned. I was blind and my hands were burned in trying to keep the fire outside the tunnel. Our shoes are burned feet and ragged clothes dry ... "

Another survivor of the holocaust of fire described the devastation - "The Green yesterday standing forest was gone and instead a charred and smoking mass Melancholy debris. Virgin trees, so that the eye could see, were broken or down, without a single branch of green. Thousands of trees - sturdy giants of the jungle - is likely set ... The men, who quenches the thirst of the small streams, it immediately became deathly sick. The clean, pure water runs through kilometers of ash had become a strong solution, alkaline, contaminated by dead fish, killed by the bleach. Since then only drinking spring water. "

Blueprint For Disaster

The winter of 1909-1910 was cold with little snow. This weather fronts bound Pacific that normally buried in the area tens of centimeters of snow, instead vented their fury over the Cascades. Only a small percentage of moisture carried inland to northern Idaho and western Montana. The area receives less than half an inch of precipitation from January to June was the driest in memory of anybody.

The temperature rose and the late afternoon thunder and lightning, devoid of moisture, caused forest fires in the desert. In mid- May Glacier National Park was already under siege. Several fires broke out throughout the county high in northern Idaho and northwest Montana, that men and teams joined the battle outbreaks package. Reports came in the Journal of the Blackfeet, the Cabinet, Clearwater, Flathead, Lolo and forests from forest fires Kaniksu new swelled to triple its size at a speed faster than a man could move.

In 1910 Timber management is still a new idea in the United States. In 1905 President Theodore Roosevelt established the U.S. Forest Service to manage national forests in order to provide County with a constant supply of water quality and timer. At that time the focus was on conservation policy and mandate that the best way to preserve timber reserves was to protect them from forest fires.

Although newly formed and inexperienced U.S. Forest Service clearly recognizes the immediate danger of the situation and recruited thousands of men to fight against an ever increasing number of forest fires at a distance through the northwestern states.

Prospectors packed up and moved from the highlands, the settlers and farmers buried or removed equipment and harms way families and animals closer River. City and residents of the camp and along the way were encouraged to move to safe areas in Spokane or Missoula.

As the fire season advanced so did the number and size of the fires that swept through the desert. Equipment, expertise and human resources were scarce. Joe Haim, a graduate of Washington State College in 1909, he worked as a surveyor in the Coeur d 'Alene National Forest and describes the difficulties and disadvantages faced by firefighters. "There were trails or roads and had to go 65 miles to get to the fire when we were sent out first. . . took longer to enter the country to turn a small fire. "Joe Haim would have kept his crew terrorized at gunpoint to prevent escape of fire, could not escape. His decisive and heroic actions saved many lives.

The drought continued throughout the summer and the many inches of rain annually blessed the area could not reach. Hot dry winds wicked moisture from the forest floor, the streams and drainage wrinkled grass usually green meadow, crop failure and livestock suffered. All the elements needed for a catastrophic storm were in place.

On August 20, a cold front produced strong winds that the rate of fresh feed oxygen to the many scattered fires. Previously controlled low-intensity fires mushroomed into a huge fireball, fire broke out latent crowned trees in a blazing inferno several kilometers wide and hundreds of feet high. Poisonous smoke blackened the area as the day immediately turned to the darkest night. In Denver, 800 miles away the epicenter of the firestorm, the temperature dropped 19 degrees in 10 minutes, at 5 pm on a freezing wind, descended on Denver, erasing the toxic smoke from fires in the northwest.

The fire spread throughout the forest were caught unaware. Hobbled by the intense heat, blinding smoke and dangerous terrain, many were trapped and unable to flee the fire. Some survived crawling in caves or mine shafts or drenching themselves with water and laying down in the creeks and streams. Residents of the small villages fled the area by train or in a room and desperately fires flared up again against the wall of fire towards them terrific course.

On the morning of August 21 the devastation was obvious and amazing. More than one third of the city of Wallace, Idaho was cremated. About Grand Forks was in ruins. On the other side of Lookout Pass the towns of DeBorgia, Taft, Haugen and Henderson were destroyed. Dense smoke filled the sky as far east as New York and south to beyond Denver, Colorado. The sailors who sail in the Pacific reported that the stars could not see through the veil of smoke.

Two days later, 23, a secondary cold front swept in from the Pacific dropping a deluge of heavy rain. The "Big Burn" was not finally extinguished, however before lives were lost and lives changed forever by the experience. It will be centuries before a normal forest is restored.

About the Author

Marlene Affeld has a passion for the environment and all things natural. A seasoned traveler, Marlene enjoys sharing her experiences with others. Visit Marlene's site at
Nandu Green
for Eco-Friendly living options.

find burlington metra stop in the forest north of the river, il place on the train to go to the C / Balmes. downersgrov

You will receive the Union Pacific West Line in River Forest and go to Oglivie at Madison and Canal ... then walk about 3 blocks south on Jackson Channel where Union Station is ... get in the Burlington Northern Santa Fe to the Aurora train .... Main St / Downers Grove will be stopped and 21 of 19 (depending on whether an express train or the train makes that everyone stops some) good luck!

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