Forged in Wildfire: How the 1910 Big Burn Shaped America's National Forests
In this week’s Catastrophe Chronicles episode, we dive headfirst into the inferno that was the Great Burn of 1910—a wildfire so colossal that it basically said, “Why stop at burning trees? Let’s scorch some history too.”
This wasn’t your typical campfire gone wrong. Oh no. This was a blaze that tore through three million acres of pristine forest in the Northern Rockies, devoured entire towns like they were appetizers, and brought smoke so thick it made the region look like the set of a post-apocalyptic movie. Over 100 people lost their lives, mostly the heroic firefighters who tried to contain what turned out to be Mother Nature’s angry tantrum.
We explore how this epic inferno reshaped fire management in the United States—because apparently, it takes a disaster of this magnitude to get people to take forest conservation seriously. Along the way, we couldn’t resist throwing in some dark humor: think less “Smokey Bear” and more “Smokey Apocalypse.”
The episode also highlights some of the bizarre human stories, like the fire chief who essentially said, “You know what, we’re not going down without a fight!” and led his crew into battle against the flames. Spoiler: the fire still won.
We top it off with a thematic cocktail recipe that brings the heat (don’t worry, it’s metaphorical fire). Whether you’re a history buff, a pyromaniac on a leash, or just someone who wants to learn about the disaster that gave birth to the U.S. Forest Service’s modern policies, this episode is for you.
Because if history has taught us anything, it’s this: when the world burns, the least we can do is pour a drink and tell the story.
Cheers to learning from catastrophe!
Books:
The Big Burn - Timothy Egan
https://www.amazon.com/Big-Burn-Teddy-Roosevelt-America-ebook/dp/B003WJQ7JO/ref=sr_1_1?crid=38WJIX9U643Z6&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.uRUbVaSkuXlfJPVi83WbO-1RRzY8lDpfrrX1Pt-_BI9hsdpKj8b2e02l0MtlnHMQvaraU8H2OOULvDkTcsA_vEXDIEydF6-tBXwg32vw91TGTrfb4yyP7LNhYheRiDphs5M8MJ-IzPLEA9n44OeKs0v3KYMXHdvYJ3_DJkFlJwmL3hX-T5IpCfL3yNz0yy8FnLszPRP7eDX2v-ybEekJcL-sQlOak7quxNWjsK2-CiQ.nLWcI_4ytJlUamddYT7npvr_jUKTEq_R5JxC76MJzMQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+big+burn&qid=1733769750&sprefix=the+big+burn+%2Caps%2C336&sr=8-1
Article:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5444731.pdf
https://foresthistory.org/research-explore/us-forest-service-history/policy-and-law/fire-u-s-forest-service/famous-fires/the-1910-fires/
https://www.nationalforests.org/our-forests/light-and-seed-magazine/blazing-battles-the-1910-fire-and-its-legacy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Rey
https://newrepublic.com/article/106331/unabridged-sadly-unillustrated-history-political-skinny-dipping
