One-year until 1910 fire centennial

Danielle Switalski

“It really was a hazardous night, as it looked like the whole country was burning up.”  These are words taken from the memoir written by Bessie Reeder, great grandmother to Plains’ schools Athletic Director, Orin Kendall who is a living descendent of survivors of the 1910 fire.  

This August marked the 99th anniversary of the 1910 fire that raged uncontrollably for two days burning over three million acres across western Montana, northern Idaho and northeast Washington killing approximately 85 people.

The Thompson Falls Historical Society and the Forest Service was awarded a Montana Cultural Trust special projects grant in order to put on a centennial event to celebrate the anniversary of the fire.  The event is set for August 21, 2010 in Trout Creek. 

Helen Meadows, coauthor of the book Flames and Courage: saga of the 1910 fires and long time employee of the Thompson Falls Historical Society said the biggest thing they have been working on in preparation for the centennial event is searching for descendants of those who lived through the fire from 1910 to come and share their stories, just like the story of Bessie Reeder.  It is Meadows hope that descendants of anyone who partook in the fire including forest fighters, homesteaders, packers, miners and residents of the Montana area at that time will be willing to attend a barbeque beef dinner at the centennial event and share their families’ stories.   

“If anyone has relatives or friends or if they know somebody that is a descendent we would like them to come and participate in the festivities,” said Meadows. 

Kendall’s grandmother and Bessie’s daughter, Ivy Reeder, was about 5 years old when the fires hit Western Montana.  Kendall said he plans on attending the Centennial Celebration because he is aware that there aren’t many descendants left.  Kendall recalls two stories about the fire his grandmother, Ivy, used to tell him.  Kendall said the main thing his grandmother remembered from the chaotic few days was that it got so hot “the fish started dying and just turned bellyup in the waters of Beaver Creek.”

“She also remembered that she got up on the barn roof with wet towels and fought to keep the barn from going up in flames,” said Kendall.

These are the stories Meadows is interested in most, ways in which people coped with the fires and how they saved their livelihood and helped one another despite the lack of communication that existed back in those days.  Meadows wants to take these stories and share them with the community in order to teach people not only about all the things that came out of the fire such as better communication and fire safety precautions, but also to teach people about proper preventative fire methods used today.

“We want to educate as many people as we can about the fires,” said Meadows. 

Meadows said on the day prior to the main event, August 20, 2010, will be an event put on in Thompson Falls by the library and historical society where people can travel back in time to 1910.

“We are hoping to step back in time with a reenactment, where everybody can dress in period costumes and have old time period music,” said Meadows.

The main event on the 21 in Trout Creek will have a day packed full of free events beginning with a commemorative ATV run that will tour areas around Trout Creek that were affected by the fire.  The day’s events also include a 1910 fire camp, 9-mile mule packing demonstrations, a historic photo display, family fun events such as horseshoes and turtle races and professional speakers.  Most notably, author, professor and world authority on the 1910 fires, Stephen Pyne has agreed to come and speak before the dinner. 

The 1910 fires were started as a result of a combination of things including extremely dry weather conditions, harsh winds, lightening storms and other smaller factors contributing to the start and spread of the fires.

“Most of it burned in this 2 day period, 70 mile an hour winds, that’s why it’s called ‘The Big Blowout’ because so suddenly it was like taking dynamite and it just went kaboom, they couldn’t stop it,” said Meadows. 

Ultimately, Meadows explained, it was mother nature that put the fires out for good because the rains came which were quickly followed by snow, however, some parts of Montana smoldered for years to follow.

The Centennial is meant to share stories, learn about the people who worked together to survive the 1910 fires and get educated on how everyone can do their part in preventing fires.

“The attitude of the people in caring for one another is what is really incredible to me.  People would leave their homes and help those in real peril and everyone looked to their neighbors and really helped each other,” said Kendall.