Peeling Back The Bark
-
The Night the Mountain Fell
By James Lewis on August 16, 2019“The night the mountain fell” is how one of the strongest earthquakes to rock the United States was remembered by some survivors. It wasn't in California, though. It hit Montana. An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 centered on the …
-
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. …
-
Houston, We Have Moon Trees
By Eben Lehman on February 17, 2011Forty years ago last week, Apollo 14 returned from its nine-day journey to the moon and splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean. The three-man crew consisted of Commander Alan Shepard, Command Module Pilot Stuart Roosa, and Lunar Module Pilot …
-
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 …
-
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 …
