The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America

  Hysterical people, reaction during the evacuation, from Spokane Spokesman-Review and The Missoulian, August 21, 1910.

  Forest Service message on town burning, from National Archives, Seattle.

  1. "A Peculiar Intimacy"

  Wrestling, Roosevelt and Pinchot at governor's mansion, from Breaking New Ground, by Gifford Pinchot, commemorative edition, Island Press, 1998.

  Owen Wister remark on Pinchot, quoted in Theodore Rex, by Edmund Morris, Random House, 2001.

  Made an ass remark, from Gifford Pinchot's diaries, multiple dates, from the Papers of Gifford Pinchot: Letters, Books, and Diaries, Library of Congress.

  Roosevelt on corruption in Albany, from his autobiography.

  Roosevelt on climbing the Matterhorn, from Theodore Roosevelt—Letters and Speeches.

  Roosevelt hunting grizzly bear with a knife, from The United States Forest Service: A History, by Harold K. Steen, University of Washington Press, 1976.

  Roosevelt's appreciation of wilderness, Roosevelt on acting unafraid, Roosevelt on Harvard, Roosevelt sparring mate wanted for burglary, and Roosevelt on saving bison: from his autobiography.

  Roosevelt, the death of his wife and his mother, and his diary entry, from the Theodore Roosevelt Association, www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/timeline.htm.

  Roosevelt, unable to say wife's name after her death, cited in New York Times Book Review, January 11, 2009.

  Roosevelt on his ignorance of poverty early on, from his autobiography.

  Roosevelt on the western roundup, from Selections from the Correspondence of Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge, 1884—1918, Scribner's, 1925.

  Roosevelt quote on what he owes to the West, from his autobiography.

  Pinchot on craving action, on being alone, from Pinchot, Breaking New Ground.

  Pinchot early life, and gilded idlers, from Pinchot, Breaking New Ground, and from Pinchot papers.

  Pinchot in France, from his diaries, November 3, 1890.

  Pinchot on being footless and useless, from his diaries, July 8, 1891, and from Pinchot, Breaking New Ground.

  Pinchot's grandfather the logger, other family connections, from Gifford Pinchot and the Making of Modern Environmentalism, by Char Miller, Island Press, 2001.

  Pinchot on meeting John Muir, from Pinchot, Breaking New Ground.

  Muir's early life and philosophy, from The Life of John Muir, by Donald Worster, Oxford University Press, 2008.

  Muir and Pinchot relationship, from The Battle Over Hetch Hetchy, by Robert W. Righter, Oxford University Press, 2005.

  More on Muir and Pinchot, from Shapers of the Great Debate on Conservation, by Rachel White Scheuering, Greenwood Press, 2004.

  All slept in tent except Pinchot, from Steen, The United States Forest Service.

  Pinchot comment, rotten as usual, from Pinchot diaries, July 8, 1891.

  Pinchot and Muir at the Grand Canyon, and the tarantula, from Pinchot, Breaking New Ground.

  Pinchot boxing again and wrestling with Roosevelt, from Pinchot diaries, November 11, 1899.

  Cleveland action put forestry on the map, from Pinchot, Breaking New Ground.

  Pinchot, of all the foes, fire is the worst, from A Primer of Forestry, by Gifford Pinchot, National Archives, Seattle, 1900.

  Timber owners' abuse, from Pinchot, Breaking New Ground.

  Roosevelt comment after death of McKinley, September 23, 1901, from Selections from the Correspondence of Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge.

  Roosevelt on wanting a radical Republican Party, from his autobiography.

  Roosevelt quote, peculiar intimacy, from letter to Gifford Pinchot, February 24, 1909, Theodore Roosevelt—Letters and Speeches, also cited in The Forest Service, by Michael Frome, Westview Press, 1984.

  2. Roost of the Robber Barons

  William Clark background, from Montana: A History of Two Centuries, by Michael P. Malone, Richard B. Roeder, and William L. Lang, University of Washington Press, 1976.

  More on Clark, from The Montana Heritage, edited by Robert Swartout Jr. and Harry W. Fritz, Montana Historical Society, 1992.

  Mark Twain quote on Clark, from Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, www.bioguide.congress.gov.

  Clark's worth, reported in New York Times, May 27, 1906.

  Roosevelt on being a westerner, from Morris, Theodore Rex.

  Roosevelt on Clark's face, quoted in The Selected Letters of Theodore Roosevelt, edited by H. W. Brands, Cooper Square Press, 2001.

  Roosevelt money-getting quote, cited in Theodore Roosevelt Cyclopedia, edited by Albert Bushnell Hart and Herbert R. Ferleger, Roosevelt Memorial Association, 1941.

  Roosevelt and Pinchot on the fights ahead, from Theodore Roosevelt and His Time, by Harold Howland, Yale University Press, 1925.

  Roosevelt quote, skins the land, conservation talk of May 6, 1903, from Hart and Ferleger, eds., Theodore Roosevelt Cyclopedia.

  Background on John Muir, from The American Conservation Movement: John Muir and His Legacy, by Stephen Fox, Little, Brown, 1981.

  Muir on wilderness as a tonic, from John Muir, Our National Parks, Houghton Mifflin, 1901.

  Muir on stuffing Roosevelt, from Morris, Theodore Rex.

  Roosevelt quote on whether there is a law that prevents him from creating wildlife refuge, from The Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, by Lewis L. Gould, University of Kansas Press, 1991.

  J. J. Hill quote, give me enough Swedes, from The Pacific Northwest: An Interpretive History, by Carlos A. Schwantes, University of Nebraska Press, 1993.

  Hill's background, from James J. Hill and the Opening of the Northwest, by Albro Martin, Minnesota Historical Society, 1991.

  Six dollars an acre, from www.historylink.org.

  Roosevelt and early dealings in his administration with men of wealth, from Theodore Roosevelt and the Politics of Power, by G. Wallace Chessman, Little, Brown, 1969.

  J. P. Morgan quote, he can give it back, from The American Century, by Harold Evans, Knopf, 2000.

  Worth of Rockefeller, Weyerhaeuser, and Morgan, compared to Bill Gates, from "The Wealthy 100," by Michael Klepper and Robert Gunther, as updated in New York Times, July 15, 2007.

  Roosevelt on titans buying the judiciary, letter of October 8, 1906, from Theodore Roosevelt—Letters and Speeches.

  Roosevelt, tires me to talk to rich men, from Morris, Theodore Rex.

  Butte mayor's quote, bring on the feed, from Collier's, July 1907.

  Origin of the Square Deal in Butte, from Morris, Theodore Rex.

  Astor parties on Fifth Avenue, from New York Times, May 27, 1906.

  Elitists and google-eyed quote, from A Fierce Discontent: The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in America, by Michael McGerr, Oxford University Press, 2005.

  Rangers in Colorado, from McGerr, A Fierce Discontent.

  Roosevelt landslide, Alice's reaction, from Morris, Theodore Rex.

  Roosevelt skipping through the White House, from Gould, The Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt.

  Roosevelt letter to Kermit on the greatest majority, November 10, 1904, from Theodore Roosevelt—Letters and Speeches.

  Transfer of the Forest Service details, from Steen, The United States Forest Service.

  Roosevelt quote, forests belong to the people, letter of November 27, 1905, from Theodore Roosevelt—Letters and Speeches.

  Pinchot quote, fight, fight, fight, from Pinchot, Breaking New Ground.

  Pinchot, understanding beneficial effects of fires, quoted in National Geographic, October 1899.

  3. The Great Crusade

  William Greeley on admiration for Pinchot, from Forests and Men, by William Greeley, Doubleday, 1951.

  Greeley on seeing Roosevelt onstage, from Greeley, Forests and Men.

  Greeley, additional biographical background, from Forest Service history, www.fs.fed.us.

  Pinchot on the little guy, and fight, fight, fight, from Pinchot, Breaking New Ground.

  Koch background and his admi
ration of Pinchot, from Forty Years a Forester, by Elers Koch, Mountain Press Publishing, 1998.

  Koch, early assignments, from Koch, Forty Years a Forester.

  Early ranger requirements, from Steen, The United States Forest Service.

  The High Lonesome, from The Big Blowup: The Northwest's Great Fire, by Betty Goodwin Spencer, Caxton Printers, 1958.

  Pinchot, Forest Service stood up for small man, from Pinchot, Breaking New Ground.

  Pinchot reporting to Roosevelt on Heyburn from Wallace, from the Pinchot papers.

  Greeley on supermen, from Greeley, Forests and Men.

  Roosevelt on Pinchot, quoted in Gould, The Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt.

  Ladies and Pinchot, Barrymore's comment, from Big Trouble: A Murder in a Small Western Town Sets Off a Struggle for the Soul of America, by J. Anthony Lukas, Simon & Schuster, 1997.

  Pinchot, most eligible bachelor, from Miller, Gifford Pinchot and the Making of Modern Environmentalism.

  Love affair with Laura, background and general information, from "The Mystery of Gifford Pinchot and Laura Houghteling," by James G. Bradley, Pennsylvania History, Spring 1999.

  Pinchot, my soul doesn't grow, from Pinchot diaries, June 24, 1894.

  Pinchot on the wealth at Vanderbilt estate, from Pinchot, Breaking New Ground.

  Laura, all from Pinchot diaries as cited in the text; quote on things looking brighter is from January 22, 1894.

  Pinchot on taking a wife, editor from London, from letter of April 2, 1910, Pinchot papers.

  Pinchot and Roosevelt, how they worked, from Pinchot, Breaking New Ground.

  Roosevelt on the power to create reserve, from Morris, Theodore Rex.

  Background on Senator Mitchell, his scheme, dying in jail, from Oregon Historical Society, www.ohs.org.

  Joe Cannon, from Tyrant from Illinois: Uncle Joe Cannon's Experiment with Personal Power, by Blair Bolles, W. W. Norton, 1951; and from Miller, Gifford Pinchot and the Making of Modern Environmentalism.

  "Drenched!" from Pinchot diaries, October 11, 1905.

  Fine gallop with Roosevelt, from Pinchot diaries, February 26, 1902.

  Pinchot as Roosevelt's faithful bodyguard, from Steen, The United States Forest Service.

  Too stout, from Pinchot diaries, November 11, 1905.

  Roosevelt told me, from Pinchot diaries, October 13, 1903.

  Pinchot, the earth I repeat, from Pinchot, Breaking New Ground.

  Senator Heyburn, from "Senator Heyburn's War Against the Forest Service," Idaho Yesterdays, Winter 1970.

  Heyburn, not backing the young student, from archives, University of Idaho Special Collections, Moscow, Idaho.

  Heyburn, geese, from New York Times, September 6, 1906.

  Roosevelt's view of opponents, "unscrupulous demagogues," from Hart and Ferleger, eds., Theodore Roosevelt Cyclopedia.

  Roosevelt on Heyburn, from "Senator Heyburn's War Against the Forest Service."

  Muir, how he shaped conservation, summarized from The Eight Wilderness Discovery Books, by John Muir, Mountaineers Edition, 1992.

  Muir quote, Pinchot is ambitious, from Gould, The Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt.

  Roosevelt on the floor of the White House, "oh this is bully," from Greeley, Forests and Men.

  Roosevelt and Pinchot laughing as senators approached, from Pinchot, Breaking New Ground.

  Roosevelt, closing quote on the Forest Service and fighting fires, from letter to Pinchot, August 24, 1906, Theodore Roosevelt—Letters and Speeches.

  4. Deadwood Days

  Taft, the town, from Koch, Forty Years a Forester.

  Taft, the name of the town and Chicago reporter's description, from Names on the Face of Montana, by Roberta C. Cheney, Mountain Press Publishers, 1983.

  Antics of people in Taft and neighboring tent towns, from Up the Swiftwater, by Sandra A. Crowell and David O. Asleson, Museum of North Idaho, 1980.

  Pinchot's Primer of Forestry, United States Department of Agriculture, 1899.

  Koch, from his book, Forty Years a Forester.

  Undesirable prostitutes, from Koch, Forty Years a Forester.

  Building the railroad, details, from The Milwaukee Road, by Tom Murray, MBI Publishers, 2005, and from an exhibit at the Museum of North Idaho.

  Roar of laughter in tent towns, from Joe Halm's account in Early Days of the Forest Service.

  William Weigle and attempt to evict saloonkeepers, and Halm's account, from Early Days of the Forest Service.

  Escorting escaped convict and his escape, from Weigle in Early Days of the Forest Service, and Crowell and Asleson, Up the Swiftwater.

  Timber doesn't need protection, from Frome, The Forest Service.

  Pinkie Adair, interviewed by Sam Schrager, 1977, from unpublished oral history project, courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, Moscow, Idaho.

  One ranger with such a large tract is helpless, from Early Days of the Forest Service.

  Background on Edward Pulaski, from his personnel file, Forest Service Region One headquarters, Missoula.

  More on Pulaski, from background on file at the Wallace District Mining Museum, Wallace, Idaho.

  Background on the Kelley brothers, from Crowell and Asleson, Up the Swiftwater.

  5. Showdown

  Incoming president Taft, from Anderson, William Howard Taft.

  Pinchot's view of Taft, from Pinchot, Breaking New Ground.

  White House meeting of Roosevelt, Pinchot, and Taft, from Pinchot, Breaking New Ground.

  The pledge from Taft, from Pinchot, Breaking New Ground.

  Pinchot's view of Taft, weak but not wicked, and Roosevelt saying he was a better man for having known him, from Pinchot, Breaking New Ground.

  Cloudy days, Laura, from Pinchot diaries, various days.

  Pinchot championing the cause, quoted by Taft, from Anderson, William Howard Taft.

  Death of Mark Twain, from Mark Twain: The Illustrated Biography, by Geoffrey C. Ward, Dayton Duncan, and Ken Burns, Knopf, 2001.

  Massive cut planned for the spring, Nancy Warren, quoted in American Forests, September 1928.

  Huge growth spurt in the West, from U.S. Census Bureau, www.census.gov.

  Senator Heyburn working against the Forest Service, from files at the Forest Service Region One headquarters, Missoula.

  Pay complaints of rangers, from files at the Forest Service Region One headquarters, Missoula.

  Forest rangers' need for a living wage, April 29, 1910, memo on file at the Forest Service Region One headquarters, Missoula.

  Pinchot's worst fears of Taft, from Progressive Politics and Conservation, by James Penick Jr., University of Chicago Press, 1968.

  Grey Towers background, from National Park Service, www.fs.fed.us/na/gt.

  Giving up public land, from Miller, Gifford Pinchot and the Making of Modern Environmentalism.

  Pinchot paying rangers out of his own pocket, from New York Times, September 13, 1909.

  Amiable man quote on Taft, from The American Past: A History of the United States from Concordia to Hiroshima, by Roger Butterfield, Simon & Schuster, 1947.

  Muir quote, above the fray, from Scheuering, Shapers of the Great Debate on Conservation.

  Pinchot quote on standing for Roosevelt policies, from New York Times, August 22, 1909.

  Ballinger quote on giving land to corporations, from Scheuering, Shapers of the Great Debate on Conservation.

  Pinchot face-off with Taft, should have been fired, from Pinchot, Breaking New Ground.

  Guggenheims' wealth and control, from Collier's, November 13, 1909.

  Pinchot on pushing too far, from New York Times, September 13, 1909.

  Pinchot and landing the big fish, from Fishing Talk, by Gifford Pinchot, Stackpole Books, 1993.

  Forester letter creates sensation, from The Missoulian, January 7, 1910.

  Pinchot reaction on being fired, with mother, from Pinchot, Breaking New Ground.

  Letter from forest ranger to Pinchot, thought you we
re a Greek god, January 24, 1910, from Pinchot papers.

  Roosevelt on Taft, from Anderson, William Howard Taft.

  Pinchot's talk to foresters after being fired, from Miller, Gifford Pinchot and the Making of Modern Environmentalism.

  Rangers under siege, needing help, more funds, from Records of the Forest Service, National Archives, Seattle.

  Editorial on Forest Service, from Butte Miner, August 12, 1910.

  6. Summer of Smoke

  Pulaski, quote and details, from Records of the Forest Service, Region One headquarters, Missoula.

  Pulaski, additional biographical background, from "Pulaski: The Man, the Tool," American Forests, July 1984.

  Pulaski's notebook and writings, from Records of the Forest Service, Region One headquarters, Missoula.

  Fire conditions, dry in summer, from William Weigle's account, "The Great Idaho Fire of 1910," The Timberman, July 1934.

  Weigle, on townsfolk refusing to work, from Idaho Press, July 21, 1910.

  Forest rangers suspicious of set fires, from Professor J. E. Kirkwood's notes on a summer spent in the woods in 1910, Records of the Forest Service, Region One headquarters, Missoula.

  No states grew faster than Washington, Idaho, from U. S. Census Bureau, www.census.gov.

  The Pulaskis on the St. Joe, and Indians, from Emma Pulaski's "Memories of a Forest Service Wife."

  Information and history of the Coeur d'Alene Indians, from The Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation, Ye Galleon Press, 1970, and Saving the Reservation: Joe Garry and the Battle to Be Indian, by John Fahey, University of Washington Press, 2001.

  Indians, lottery, and reservation reduction, from History of Idaho, by Hiram T. French, Lewis Publishing, 1914.

  Greeley's memos to rangers, from Records of the Forest Service, Region One headquarters, Missoula.

  Newspaper editorial on green rangers, from Butte Intermountain, August 15, 1910.

  Newspaper editorial, abolish the Forest Service, from Helena Independent, August 4, 1910.

  Ranger comment, just bed them down anywhere, quoted in Spencer, The Big Blowup.

  7. Men, Men, Men!

  Koch and booze, recruiting in Taft, from Koch, Forty Years a Forester.

  Other ranger experiences around Taft just before fire, from Early Days of the Forest Service.

  Greeley quotes to reporters, from The Missoulian, July 15, 1910.

  Curing cancer and bald heads making people smart, from random wire-service stories in The Missoulian, January 10, 1910.