There are many different ways to discover new information. A historian is an individual who does research and writes about human events that happened in the past. The research and writings of historians provide important benefits to society. They tell stories from the past that help society to understand how people, groups of people, or organizations came to be as they are. History also helps society to learn from the mistakes and successes of the past. Often, historians collect information from many different places to tell a story. If possible, they interview people who were involved in the historic events.

Human history can be told at many levels. You, as an individual, have your own history. You have a family history, and your community has a history. Your race has a history, and your country has a history. The history of just about anything can be studied. What is your favorite type of music? It has a history as well. The research you will read about in this article was conducted by a historian who was interested in the history of wildland fire in America.

In the early years of the 20th century, the Western United States was still being settled by Europeans. Forests were cleared for railroads, mining, agriculture, and the towns where people lived. Much more land, however, remained as wild forests. As more people moved near or into these wild forests, the question of how to manage wildfires became more important. Wildfires are large uncontrolled wildland fires that are started by lightning or by people’s careless actions.

In the early 1900s, some people thought that purposefully setting and controlling small fires every few years was the best way to keep any wildfires from getting out of control. Other people felt that the best way to manage wildfires was to prevent them from starting. These people also felt that any fire that started should be put out as quickly as possible. In this article, you will learn about wildfires that burned over 2 days in 1910. You will learn about the effect these wildfires had on how society viewed wildfires throughout the 20th century. One hundred years later, the wildfires of 1910 still affect American society.

In the early 1900s, U.S. citizens became more aware of the materials that could be provided by forest lands in the West. These
materials included timber for building homes, metals from mining, and water for irrigation of crops. Citizens also became aware of the importance of saving some of these lands for everyone’s use. Around this time, national parks and forest reserves were created.

In 1905, the Forest Service was established to manage the forest reserves, which then became the national forests. As the manager of these large areas of forests, the Forest Service realized it had a big job to do. In particular, it had to figure out how best to manage wildfires. When fires burned the forests, there was less wood available for building homes and businesses. In addition, a growing human population became more concerned for its own safety.

As more people settled the West, therefore, the potential harm to people from wildfires became more important. As with most things, everyone did not agree on the best approach to manage wildfires. The people in the Forest Service believed that fires should be prevented. They also believed that any fire should be put out as soon as possible. Other people believed that fire itself could be used as a tool to manage wildfires. These people pointed to the American Indians’ practice of starting and controlling small fires as a way of preventing large uncontrolled wildfires.

On August 20 and 21, 1910, a combination of dry weather, high winds, sparks from lightning, locomotives, and human carelessness caused a large number of wildfires to ignite in Idaho and Montana (figures 1 and 2). Eighty-five people died, and 78 of them were firefighters. Following these fires, the Forest Service became even more determined to prevent or extinguish all wildland fires. This is a policy called fire suppression.

The fire suppression policy remained in effect for decades. In the late 1960s, research began to show the beneficial effects of wildland fire. The public’s attitudes toward public lands were also changing. People began to favor parks and wilderness over using the forests for timber and other products. At the same time, the harmful effects and high costs of fire suppression became more apparent. Slowly, the Forest Service began to change the way it managed wildland fires.

The historian in this study was interested in understanding the impact of the 1910 fires on fire policy and American society. He wanted to know why the wildfires that burned over those 2 days were so powerful. They influenced public opinion and fire policy for most of the next century. Their influence was felt even after it became clear that fire suppression was not the best policy. The fires of 1910 continue to influence Americans today, even if people are not aware of it. The historian in this study wanted to better understand the story and impact of the 1910 fires.

The historian did this research in two ways. Both ways involved traveling to the areas of Idaho and Montana where the wildfires occurred. The historian visited places of importance to the wildfires, such as the tunnel where firefighters sought shelter from one of the fires (figure 3).

Had survivors still been alive, he could have talked to people who had lived through the fires. Instead, he also visited the libraries, offices, and museums that keep newspaper articles, letters, documents, photographs, and other written or photographic material about the wildfires. This even included a trip to Washington, DC, to read Government documents about the fires and Forest Service fire policy, and to examine old photographs (figure 4).

The historian made copies of as much information about the fires as possible. He took notes and recorded his notes on a computer. He then sorted his notes by categories, such as date, individual, and event. Then, he placed related events in the order that they happened to create a timeline. He included information about events that happened before and after the big fires of 1910.

Then, the historian began to write the story of what happened in the years before 1910, during each month of the year of 1910, during the 2 days of the biggest fires, and after 1910.

The foresters who managed the national forests in the early 1900s believed that all fire was bad. They believed that the best thing to do was to keep fires from burning and put out any fires as quickly as possible. The historian discovered, however, that many things in 1910 were beyond the control of the foresters.

The historian found that there were many reasons the fires were so large and numerous on August 20 and 21, 1910. The weather had been dry all spring and summer. On those 2 days, strong winds began to blow. Locomotives with faulty brakes sent sparks out along the railroad tracks. Trees had been cut down to make room for the tracks. The areas beside the tracks contained dry brush that readily ignited and flames were spread by the winds. Lightning and human carelessness with campfires also contributed to the many fires ignited.

On August 24, the winds stopped and it began to rain and snow in the area. Some towns had been burned to the ground, and large areas of Idaho and Montana forests were destroyed. Eighty five people died on August 20 and 21. Once the crisis had passed, the foresters became even more determined not to let fires burn. The public, who witnessed the destruction or heard
about it in newspapers, agreed.

In the middle of the 20th century, Forest Service scientists began to learn new things about the role of fire. They began to discover that fire can be used as a tool to prevent large wildfires. They also learned that fire can have benefits in some ecosystems.

Slowly, the Forest Service began to change its mind about how best to manage fires. The agency adopted a mixture of approaches. Some fires needed to be controlled, and some needed to be set. Near the end of the 20th century, fire suppression was no longer seen as the best way to prevent large fires. Forest managers now realize that the use of small controlled fires, called prescribed fire, is a way to restore the fires we want and that nature needs. It is also a way to prevent the fires we do not want and that do damage.

The historian put some thought into what his work means for today. He noted that weather is still important to the start and spread of wildfires, just as it was in 1910. As humans burn more fossil fuels, they may be causing a change in long-term weather patterns. As the climate changes, humans may be creating better conditions for large wildfires. People should carefully consider and learn from the past.