Centennial celebration in full swing

Jamie Doran

Valley Press

If the early planning stages are any indication, the centennial celebration commemorating the 1910 fires will be a huge event for the entire Sanders County Community, and even though the centennial is still well over a year away, the planning is in full swing.

Helen Meadows, chairman of the Sanders County Historical Society, along with her husband are on a committee that is being head up by Julie Molzahn, a liaison with the U.S. Forest Service.

Meadows said that the historical society partnered up with the Forest Service and are working with other local museums as well to help get everything ready.

“Our local historical society was fortunate to find Lily Cunningham Obde, who gave us old photographs from the time period,” she said. “She is the only known living survivor and is about to turn 102.”

Obde lived in the area and was a Thompson Falls graduate.

“We do have a real nice assortment of photographs,” Meadows said. “They will be put in place next year in the museum and some of the display will be dedicated to the photographs that Lillian has given us.”

Meadows said that the historical society is still in the process of putting together the exhibit, and even though it is a year and a half away, there is lots to be done.

“We’re doing really well on the planning aspect, but we really want to make sure that everything is taken care of,” she said.

The historical society applied for a special events/cultural grant that would help to cover some of the events that will take place over the weekend.

“We’re looking to have an old fashioned format, where people can share their stories, music and then have an old fashioned dinner,” she said.

Meadows said that they have lined up a Gifford Pinchot impersonator who will make an appearance at the event. Pinchot, was the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service. She said that they would love to get a Teddy Roosevelt impersonator as well, and while they don’t have one lined up right now, they’re looking to get one.

Meadows said the historical society is really excited about Stephen Pyne maybe making an appearance and speaking. Pyne is a professor at Arizona State University and is one of the leading experts on the 1910 fires. He wrote a book, “The Year of the Fire,” on the devastating event.

Mules from Nine Mile are also hopefully going to come up and do a packing demonstration to show what fire suppression would’ve been like in 1910, Meadows said.

“We’re also working on an authentic camp to set up so people can come and look and meet other descendants and swap stories,” she said.

Meadows also said that they might have a preacher come in and say a few words for the firefighters who lost their lives because of the fire.

“The fires swept through the heart of Sanders County, so it is important that we remember it,” she said. “The whole thing is really starting to come together, it is going to be very beneficial and exciting.”