Wallace in Shoshone County, Idaho — The American West (Mountains)

"The Big Blowup"

The Human Fight, The Human Price

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 27, 2013

1. "The Big Blowup" Marker

Inscription.
Crews disembarking trains were a diverse group of laborers with little knowledge of the rugged northern Rockies and almost no firefighting experience.

Many of their names are known, however many are unknown and their histories will never be recorded. What is certain, is all would face an unimaginable display of spectacular occurrence of natural forces and endure conditions almost beyond belief. For many it was their final moment.

The Nine Mile Cemetery, a peaceful, wooded setting one mile north of Wallace is the final resting place of several victims of the Great Fire of 1910. Including 12 firefighters.

The Pulaski Tunnel Trailhead is a mile south of Wallace. The trail’s two-mile course takes hikers to a viewpoint across the creek from the historic Pulaski Tunnel, the abandoned mine where “Big Ed” Pulaski saved all but six of his 45-man firefighting crew in the Great Fire of 1910. The site’s peaceful and idyllic setting belies the terrible events of a hundred years ago.

Erected 2010.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Disasters. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1910.

Location. 47° 28.641′ N, 115° 56.011′ W. Marker is in Wallace, Idaho, in Shoshone County. Marker

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is at the intersection of River Street and Front Street, on the left when traveling north on River Street. Marker is located near the Wallace Chamber of Commerce parking lot entrance, on the left side as you enter the parking lot. Marker is adjacent to Wallace's 1910 Firefighters Memorial - a large, tall brick monument. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: The Harry F Magnuson Way, Wallace ID 83873, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. A different marker also named "The Big Blowup" (here, next to this marker); Wallace (a few steps from this marker); Hercules Mill (within shouting distance of this marker); Wallace World War Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); Historic Wallace South Hill Stairs (approx. 0.6 miles away); Rossi Insurance Building (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Great Fire of 1910 (approx. 1.2 miles away); The Pulaski Tunnel Trail (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wallace.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.

Also see . . .
1. The 1910 Idaho Fire. National Wildfire Coordinating Group website homepage:
Conditions across the west had been unseasonably dry with below average rainfall since April. Fires, both lightening and human caused, had started in the spring and reached a crescendo in July and again in late August. The group behind the effort to suppress these fires was an organization

Marker detail: Firefighters Arriving by Train image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 27, 2013

2. Marker detail: Firefighters Arriving by Train

in its infancy, the newly created United States Forest Service. Forest Supervisors in Idaho and Montana did their best to control the blazes with the resources they had; a handful of recent Forestry graduates, Forest Guards hired from the local populace, and whatever labor could be gathered from the mines, timber camps, and bars throughout the west. (Submitted on November 21, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. The 1910 Fire: Learning from Idaho's Past. Senator Mike Crapo website entry:
August 20, 2010, marks the 100-year anniversary of the 1910 Fire that resulted in nearly 100 lost lives, hundreds of injuries, approximately three million burned acres and the destruction of towns and homes in Idaho. As we honor the heroism of the response to the 1910 Fire, it is a reminder that we must actively manage our national lands, provide resources to our local communities and land managers to respond when lives and property are threatened, take responsibility for reducing fire risk at our homes and be responsible users of our public lands. (Submitted on November 21, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Marker detail: Nine Mile Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 27, 2013

3. Marker detail: Nine Mile Cemetery

Marker detail: Fire Sites Map image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 27, 2013

4. Marker detail: Fire Sites Map

Pulaski Tunnel Trail image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 27, 2013

5. Pulaski Tunnel Trail

1910 Firefighters Memorial - adjacent to this marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 27, 2013

6. 1910 Firefighters Memorial - adjacent to this marker

This site is dedicated to the memory of all firefighters who lost their lives fighting the Great Fires of 1910. Their heroic efforts while enduring some of the most severe fire behavior in our nation's history will never be forgotten. Dedicated August 21, 2010

Credits. This page was last revised on June 1, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 21, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 233 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on November 21, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.