Description
Big Burn book. By Timothy Egan. A remarkable story filled with fantastic characters, some cowards and numerous heroes. On the afternoon of August 20, 1910, a battering ram of wind moved through the drought-stricken National forest of Washington, Idaho and Montana. Whipping up hundreds of small blazes burning across the forest floor into a roaring inferno. The forest Rangers had assembled nearly ten thousand men, college boys, day workers, and immigrants from mining camps, to fight the fire of fires. But no living person had seen anything like those flames nor did anyone know how to subdue them. Author, Timothy Egan narrates the struggles of the overmatched ranges against the implacable fires with unstoppable dramatic force. Equally dramatic is the larger story Egan tells about the U.S. President, Teddy Roosevelt and his pioneering the notion of conservation. Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot, Roosevelt’s Chief Forester, help create the idea of public land as our National treasure and to be owned by and preserved for every citizen. This book by far, is an important cautionary tale for today’s classic forest firefighting catastrophes. Softbound. Pages 324. Some B&W Photos. Book measures approximately 5 1/4 inches wide X 8 1/2 inches high. A New York Times best Seller.
