Early Days in the Forest Service Volume 3

By Lewis E. Ewan
(Retired 1950)

In July 1929 I was detailed to Missoula for fire duty. The first fire I was on was one on the West Fork of the Bitterroot River. We had five camps which were first located a short distance below the Aleta Ranger Station and later, as fire conditions changed to a point a short distance above this station. That district was then under one of the Ranger Tennants. I can't remember which one. (It was Ray Tennant —Ed.) His brother (Earl) was then a Ranger on the Lolo Forest.

This fire was started by a coal or wood-burner shovel owned by the Missoula Mercantile Company, and which was being moved from a few miles above Aleta to someplace down the Bitterroot River near Darby. The Forest Service had assigned a guard to follow the engine during the move. This engine started 12 fires which were all put out by the fire guard. The thirteenth fire got away from him.

Phil __________, an Assistant Regional Forester in charge of roads and trails, as well as I remember, was assigned to this fire. (This may have been Phil Neff, Regional Logging Engineer— Ed.) I was sent out with him and a good many men. After three days we had it pretty well down and Phil and I, and trucks of men, went down the road to Hamilton. A few men were left on patrol. Phil was sure the fire was safe, but recommended to Supervisor Lowell that he placed me in charge of it, which he did. I then returned to the fire and worked on it, but it soon became bad again. I would get it down pretty well when all of a sudden it would blow up again, somewhere along the line in the general location of where a certain crew strawboss was working. I detailed an Indian from one crew (I've forgotten his name but we called him "Chief') to spy on that section of the line. He soon brought me the information that he was sure one man, he thought it was the crew leader, was setting fires ahead. I sent that boss and all his crew down the road, with Ranger Tennant's approval, and they were fired. We soon had the fire down to an eight-man patrol crew, and Mr. Lowell transferred me to the Lost Horse Creek fire west of Darby.

I became acquainted with Than Wilkerson and, if I remember right, seven of his brothers, while I was in that locality that summer.

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