The Big Burn

Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America

By: Timothy Egan

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

In The Worst Hard Time, Timothy Egan put the environmental disaster of the Dust Bowl at the center of a rich history, told through characters he brought to indelible life. Now he performs the same alchemy with the Big Burn, the largest-ever forest fire in America and the tragedy that cemented Teddy Roosevelt's legacy in the land.

On the afternoon of August 20, 1910, a battering ram of wind moved through the drought-stricken national forests of Washington, Idaho, and Montana, whipping the hundreds of small blazes burning across the forest floor into a roaring inferno that jumped from treetop to ridge as it raged, destroying towns and timber in an eyeblink. Forest rangers had assembled nearly 10,000 men—college boys, day workers, immigrants from mining camps—to fight the fires. But no living person had seen anything like those flames, and neither the rangers nor anyone else knew how to subdue them.

Egan narrates the struggles of the overmatched rangers against the implacable fire with unstoppable dramatic force, through the eyes of the people who lived it. Equally dramatic, though, is the larger story he tells of outsized president Teddy Roosevelt and his chief forester, Gifford Pinchot. Pioneering the notion of conservation, Roosevelt and Pinchot did nothing less than create the idea of public land as our national treasure, owned by every citizen. The robber barons fought him and the rangers charged with protecting the reserves, but even as TR's national forests were smoldering, they were saved: The heroism shown by those same rangers turned public opinion permanently in favor of the forests, though it changed the mission of the forest service with consequences felt in the fires of today.

The Big Burn tells an epic story, paints a moving portrait of the people who lived it, and offers a critical cautionary tale for our time.

©2009 Timothy Egan (P)2020 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Great Historical Read

Loved the story. Went to the same school as the author. Silver Valley is my hood!

Excellent!

Well written and well narrated. Fascinating and unimaginable story of America's westward expansion and a disaster that accompanied it.

A must read

A brilliant story weaving the greed of politicians and the ideals of the early 20th century conservationist movement. It’s a story for all who enjoy public lands, because the greedy land barons are coming for our land again. History does repeat itself, and hopefully public lands win the day once more.

Excellent Narrative of a Wild Story

This is the second book I've listened to by this author and it was impressive. if you enjoy learning about past events that shaped the US, and the experiences of people in the thick of it, then this is for you.

Fantastic

The story of turn of the century politics, western expansion, and Teddy Roosevelt all told through the lens of the 1910 fire

Very one-sided

First of all, the narrator should have researched how to pronounce the names of communities in Idaho. As a native of the state, this was aggravating. Then, (although never entertained by the author) when the Yale graduates arrived in the area, they appeared to show little respect to the people of Idaho and Montana concerning their knowledge of their communities, of the woods, and of fire. Even the dreaded loggers had this knowledge, When the Yale graduates arrived, had they shown respect for knowledge gained not necessarily from the classroom, their reception, I believe, would have been much more positive. Today, the frustration of many of Idaho’s citizens with the Forest Service continues. I love the woods, I love the idea of conserving it as much as possible. I just think this book could have broadened its outlook. Read The Big Blowout, written by Betty Goodwin for the perspective of someone who grew up in the area.

Excellent Historical Account

I really enjoyed hearing the history of the fire and learning about the people who were involved.

Wonderful story of preservation and the politics that fostered it!

Well written and spell bounding book that tells a story long forgotten about the origins of our national parks and forestry and conservation. A page turner!

Informative.

This book had been on my read list for a while, wish I had read it sooner. The author didn't just focus on the events of the day of the Big Burn, but even gave a brief, yet informative and interesting, account of the major players backgrounds, including individuals and the political and cultural climate of the time. As a Wildland Firefighter with the US Forest Service, I would recommend this to anyone who has even the slightest interest in land management.

The 1910 Wallace ID fire, and so much more

This tremendous book, another by Timothy Egan, intersperses the description of the massive Fall 2010 fire that nearly destroyed Wallace Idaho with abbreviated biographies of Gifford Pinchot and Teddy Roosevelt and their joint work to establish the US Forest Service. Egan's description of the fire reminded me of Norman MacLean's 'Young Men and Fire' in its descriptions of the escape of forest service workers from the searing heat and suffocating smoke. I have this book listed as one that students in my undergraduate Environmental Science class can review; another is 'The Worst Hard Time,' Egan's description of the Dust Bowl and the sad fate of dozens of midwesterners who suffered through it.