Early Days in the Forest Service Volume 1

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
FOREST SERVICE
NORTHERN REGION

FEDERAL BUILDING
MISSOULA, MONTANA

ADDRESS REPLY TO
REGIONAL FORESTER

AND REFER TO

October 15, 1944

To the People of Region One:

A few of us were talking one day of the yarns we had heard told around campfires by the older men in the Service - some of them hair-raising, some tragic, some ludicrous, some sad. And we agreed that steps should be taken to preserve these stories of the early days. Our historical records were made up mainly of dusty odds and ends from old files - unpeopled, factual writings and statistics. We felt that these records, to be of lasting value, should be humanized, and that the stories of the oldtimers were what we needed to provide life and interest.

And so I sent out a letter to the folks who had watched over Region One through its early growing pains, and asked them to set down on paper some of their reminiscences. We have bound into this book the replies they sent in.

Reading their stories, no one can fail to be impressed by the special brand of loyalty these man gave to the Service. Their pay was poor, but in spite of that they put their best into the job, for they loved their work and had faith in it. They endured physical discomfort and hardships as a matter of course. Too often they had to face injustice end to battle discouragement, but they were never quitters.

These man and others like them laid the solid foundation of the Forest Service. The greatest honor we can pay them is to build upon that foundation a sound and enduring structure.

Sincerely,
/s/ EVAN W. KELLEY
Regional Forester