Peeling Back The Bark
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How I Came to Mann Gulch
By Guest Contributor on August 6, 2024Guest Contributor Stephen Pyne took time out during a visit in 2012 to Mann Gulch to reflect on author Norman Maclean and his book Young Men and Fire.
“In my story of the Mann Gulch fire, how I… -
Parachuting Into History: Smokejumpers Land In DC For First Time
By James Lewis on June 28, 2017On this date in 1949, four Forest Service smokejumpers made the first jump east of the Mississippi River and the first parachute jump ever made onto the Washington Ellipse, the oval park between the Washington Monument and the White House. …
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What’s On Your Forest History Vacation Bucketlist?
By James Lewis on September 11, 2012I’ve just returned from Connecticut, where I spent time at Yale University conducting research in the Yale Forest School papers and also visited Simsbury, birthplace of Gifford Pinchot, to see the world premiere of the new film, Seeking the Greatest …
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Further Reflections on Mann Gulch
By James Lewis on August 5, 2012As the Lewis and Clark expedition made its way through the beautiful, rugged area he would name "the gates of the rocky mountains," Meriwether Lewis recorded in his journal on July 19, 1805: "this evening we entered much the most …
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August 5, 1949: Mann Gulch Tragedy
By Eben Lehman on August 5, 2009On this date 60 years ago, the Mann Gulch fire in Montana's Helena National Forest was first spotted. This devastating wildfire would eventually claim the lives of 12 U.S. Forest Service smokejumpers and one fire guard, as well as burn …
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Visiting Mann Gulch 60 Years Later
By James Lewis on July 10, 2009I just returned from a trip to Montana, where I conducted an oral history interview with the 15th chief of the U.S. Forest Service, Dale Bosworth. While there, I took the opportunity to visit Mann Gulch, site of the …
