WEEKEND EVENTS:
Saturday, August 3rd, 2024, 6-9pm: Myrna Loy Theater Event
Aired the PBS special, “Higgins Ridge.” The documentary outlined a fire that occurred a decade after the Mann Gulch Fire and eerily reflects similar circumstances. The crew drew upon what they had learned from the Mann Gulch Fire and how it led to a better outcome for their crew.
Sunday, August 4th, 2024, 10am-Noon: York Community Hall
Seventy-five years to this day, after weeks of dry weather, thunderstorms pelted the Big Belt Mountains with lightning, igniting five fires. Two grew into significant fires, the Mann Gulch Fire and the York Fire. The York Fire played a critical role in decisions made concerning the Mann Gulch Fire. All were invited to walk the “other fire” and discuss its implications regarding the Mann Gulch Fire
Sunday, August 4th, 2024, 2-5pm: Montana Discovery Foundation
A partnership-sponsored IPA Launch at Ten Mile Creek Brewing revealed a special commemorative beer. The Foundation provided community member displays on the walking mall, including smokejumpers from the Missoula base and demonstrations that model fire behavior. Information booths showed community members how to harden their homes and create defensible space around their properties.
CAPITOL EVENT: Monday, August 5th, 2024, 4-7 pm
- NSA President Bina’s Keynote Address (PDF)
- John Maclean Keynote Address (PDF)
- Feature article by John Maclean entitled, “In the Wake of the 75th Anniversary Memorial” (PDF)
- Bob Sallee notes (PDF)
Montana State Capitol building commemorative evening on the west lawn, with remarks from U.S. Forest Service leadership, followed by John N. Maclean (son of Norman Maclean, who wrote Young Men and Fire) as the keynote speaker, along with Mike Bina, the president of the National Smokejumpers Association.
The newly restored DC-3, “Miss Montana” (the plane that dropped the smokejumpers in 1949), flew over the Capitol. Wreaths were set up to honor each of the men.
Cold Missouri Waters
“August ‘Forty-Nine, north Montana
The hottest day on record, the forest tinder dry
Lightning strikes in the mountains
I was crew chief at the jump base; I prepared the boys to fly Pick the drop zone, C-47 comes in low
Feel the tap upon your leg that tells you go
See the circle of that fire down below
Fifteen of us dropped above the cold Missouri waters”
View rest of song lyrics
Gauged the fire — I’d seen bigger
So I ordered them to sidehill and we’d fight it from below
We’d have our backs to the river
We’d have it licked by morning even if we took it slow
But the fire crowned, jumped the valley just ahead
There was no way down, headed for the ridge instead
Too big to fight it, we’d have to fight that slope instead
Flames one step behind above the cold Missouri waters
Sky had turned red, smoke was boiling
Two hundred yards to safety, death was fifty yards behind
Thirteen crosses high above the cold Missouri waters
Thirteen Stations of the Cross to mark their fall
Thirteen crosses high above the cold Missouri shore
James Keelaghan wrote this song in 1995, and it was recorded live by the “Fiddlin’ Foresters” in March 2004 in Boulder, Colorado.
MANN GULCH HIKE: Tuesday, August 5th, 2024
Family members, National Smokejumper Association members, current fire personnel, and current smokejumpers delivered wreaths to the crosses and monuments where the Mann Gulch victims fell in Mann Gulch.
A picnic at the Meriwether Day Use Area followed the tributes.
- Read story about the Mann Gulch hike by Jerry Katt
- Reflections on a hike to Mann Gulch with the families by Mike Bina
Lyndale Tunnel Mural
Artist: Elise Perpignano, Helena
Chiara Cipriano worked tirelessly to organize the events in Helena, culminating in a memorial on the steps of the Capitol building. The Dedication of the Lyndale Tunnel mural was complemented by a timely flyover of the DC-3 Miss Montana, casting its shadow on the dedication crowd.
“Working on the Mann Gulch 75th anniversary memorial tribute allowed me to grasp the immense dedication of the fire community and our agency leadership to respond to the call of duty. Meeting family members and listening to first-hand stories brought to life each of the thirteen men who perished in the August 1949 Mann Gulch fire. I have never been a part of a project where folks were so giving of their time and resources to help. Forest Service staff and families, along with volunteers with the National Smokejumper Association, Wild Montana, Montana Discovery Foundation, and the Museum of Mountain Flying, collectively helped us expand the story of these men into schools and museums across the country.”
“One memory that stands out was when the City of Helena was conducting a ribbon cutting in front of a new art installation for the smokejumpers. The original DC-3 plane that carried the smokejumpers in 1949, now known as ‘Miss Montana,’ cast a shadow as it flew overhead. That was surreal! – Chiara Cipriano, Public Affairs Officer, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest
