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248th out of 2,110 books
—
3,794 voters
The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America
by
Timothy Egan
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 the blink of an eye. Forest rangers had assembled nearly...more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
October 19th 2009
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
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Apr 01, 2010
Mahlon
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone with an interest in History, fire prevention, or conservation.
Recommended to Mahlon by:
Amazon
Timothy Eagan's The Big Burn tells the story of the Nation's largest wildfire, which burned parts of Idaho, Montana, and Washington. It burned August 20-21 1910, killing 87 (including 78 firefighters) The great fire severely tested the recently founded U.S. Forest Service, leading many to question it's mission, and even it's existence. Eagan uses the fire to discuss the history of the Forest Service, and to highlight it's place in president Theodore Roosevelt's conservation plan, and his friends...more
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Outstanding, highly readable history of the Great Fire of 1910 that burned 3.2 million acres in and around the Bitterroots National Forest in Idaho and Montana. The author moves deftly between (a) the immediacy of the fire and the experiences of people caught up in it, and (b) the powerful business and political interests whose actions both contributed to and were affected by the disaster.
Timothy Egan has done a tremendous amount of research, but what emerges most clearly (and powerfully) are t...more
Timothy Egan has done a tremendous amount of research, but what emerges most clearly (and powerfully) are t...more
This book vividly presents an era which I have explored in many other excellent histories, but focuses on an event of which I was totally unaware, the great fire of 1910 that nearly ended the fledgling U.S. Forest Service. Timothy Egan does an excellent job of laying out the earliest days of this critical organization and the important roles of Gifford Pinchot and Theodore Roosevelt in getting it started. He also brings to life the political tactics that were used to try to discredit, underfund,...more
An enjoyable history novel about the creation of the Forest Service and many National Forest in the West. The author, Timothy Egan, does a nice job of dividing The Big Burn into 3 parts. Part one explores the struggles of Gifford Pinchot (the first US Chief Forester) and President Roosevelt as they create the conservation movement and the Forest Service. The Service with newly forestry graduates were tasked to watch over the newly created national forest in the West. The second part of the novel...more
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Over the long term, greed was the winner of this battle. Some things never change. We could use another Teddy Roosevelt here in the 21st century. Progressive, outspoken, tenacious, and so gifted with words.
This book is a lot more about politics than it is about The Big Burn. I agree with another reviewer who said the title is misleading, as the book is much more about Gifford Pinchot than Teddy Roosevelt. Also, it is never made clear how the fire "saved America." Still, there's much to learn of...more
This book is a lot more about politics than it is about The Big Burn. I agree with another reviewer who said the title is misleading, as the book is much more about Gifford Pinchot than Teddy Roosevelt. Also, it is never made clear how the fire "saved America." Still, there's much to learn of...more
A beautifully written, engaging book. Before I had read the book, I had never heard of the Fire of 1910, and probably wouldn't have cared even if I had. Timothy Egan put me right there in the Big Lonesome and the Bitterroot Mountains with flames roaring round me on all sides. I cared what happened to the forest. I cared what happned to Ed Pulaski and his crew. Would some of them be alive when all was over?
I liked the rightness of the historical circle. Teddy Roosevelt, having estabished the For...more
I liked the rightness of the historical circle. Teddy Roosevelt, having estabished the For...more
This book was so well written. The part about the beginnings of the forest service were a little bit drier, but necessary to understand the complete devastation of this 36 hour big burn that destroyed 3 million acres of forest. I was pretty amazed with the story of Teddy Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot, two millionaires that were considered by many to be traitors to their class because they campaigned for the rights of the little guy and for preserving public land for future generations instead of...more
I first heard about the 1910 event known as "The Big Burn" many years ago while reading about hiking trails in my home state of Idaho. The magnitude of this huge forest fire intrigued me at the time; so, when I saw a book on the bestseller list with the title The Big Burn I immediately took notice.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It has so many qualities that make it my kind of book: Nature, Idaho, History, Conservation, Adventure, Politics, Tragedy, Disaster, and best of all - excellent writ...more
I really enjoyed reading this book. It has so many qualities that make it my kind of book: Nature, Idaho, History, Conservation, Adventure, Politics, Tragedy, Disaster, and best of all - excellent writ...more
Egan intersperses the story of Teddy Roosevelt, Gifford Pichot, and the early conservation movement with an account of the hurricane force wild fire that burned down acres upon acres of woods in northern Idaho, Washington, and Montana that finally solidified public opinion around public lands. The first portion of the book focuses on Roosevelt and his administration's efforts to set aside land as a public trust. Just as in The Worst Hard Time, where Egan really shines, though, is when he tells t...more
Using the great wildfire of 1910, the author provides us with a history of the birth and evolution of the US Forest Service. As many already know, Theodore Roosevelt used his office and his love for the outdoors to protect much of what we know and take for granted today as the National Parks and Forests. What many do not know is the struggle to maintain these systems while fighting those who could not see beyond their profit making to the need for preservation of the forests and natural areas th...more
As a boy growing up in the 80s I spent many summers in the Bitterroot mountains of Montana. I vividly recall the towering black snags stripped bear of their limbs standing, sentinel-like, as testimonies to the worst forest fire in U.S. history. 1910 was a particularly dry summer. Local fires, kicked up by lightning bursts and embers chugged from steam engines punctuated the landscape of Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Then came the big wind—the “Palouser”—which galvanized thousands of local fire...more
A fascinating history of the U.S. Forest Service: its birth, the 1910 wildfire in the West that would shape and define it, and the politics of conservation, logging, greed, government failure, evolution of policies and a story of men who pioneered what we hold dear today: Our national parks, forests and great outdoors.
I loved this book by Timothy Egan.
The fire of 1910? I had never heard of it. And I spend a lot of time outdoors. I’ve held a Pulaski in my hand on many occasions, and never knew it...more
I loved this book by Timothy Egan.
The fire of 1910? I had never heard of it. And I spend a lot of time outdoors. I’ve held a Pulaski in my hand on many occasions, and never knew it...more
Gifford Pinchot and Theodore Roosevelt were natural allies: both from privileged backgrounds, both worried about the growing exploitation of America's western natural resources by monied interests, at the expense of the rest of the country. So when Roosevelt launched his great preservationist endeavors, his friend Gifford was a national pick to found and lead a new National Forest Service.
Timothy Egon's "Big Burn" is about the personalities and politics of the Forest Service: how events before R...more
Timothy Egon's "Big Burn" is about the personalities and politics of the Forest Service: how events before R...more
THE BIG BURN satisfies on all counts. It's beautifully written and wonderfully informative, shifting in scope from the forest rangers and firefighters on the ground during the "big burn" of 1910 all the way to the White House. Timothy Egan tackles some big ideas, charting the birth of conservation and of America's national parks, but he never loses sight of his story.
Egan's prose is a pure pleasure to read, as beautiful as it is clear. The whole book is brimming with elegant phrases, like when E...more
Egan's prose is a pure pleasure to read, as beautiful as it is clear. The whole book is brimming with elegant phrases, like when E...more
If you are interested in the historical politics surrounding land preservation and the founding of the National Parks system, I imagine this is a great read. It was a different perspective for me, as I'd only heard the Big Burn referenced in the context of what happens when you try and mess with natural systems without understanding them (a mere paragraph in the epilogue mentions this factor). Egan clearly decided he wanted solid heroes and villains, so Teddy Roosevelt can do no wrong, Gifford P...more
Timithy Egan is a NYT columnist I make it a point to read everytime he's featured. Clearly, one of the brightest and most clear-minded of a very smart bunch.
It was no surprise that The Big Burn would cover more than just the incredible fires that plagued Montana and Idaho during the summer of 1910. Egan also paints a comprehensive picture of the cast of characters that were in Washington at the time of the birth of the Forest Service and the powerful forces that aligned against the concept of p...more
It was no surprise that The Big Burn would cover more than just the incredible fires that plagued Montana and Idaho during the summer of 1910. Egan also paints a comprehensive picture of the cast of characters that were in Washington at the time of the birth of the Forest Service and the powerful forces that aligned against the concept of p...more
Interesting look at the minds and relationship of Gifford Pinchot and Theodore Roosevelt set against the backdrop of the 1910 Forest Fire of the Northwest. The biggest forest fire in modern history ironically saved the struggling Forest Service, which had only been in existence for five years against major opposition. The book shows how the government acted in collusion with the big timber and railroad barons against Roosevelt's dream of setting aside public land for the common people.
I first he...more
I first he...more
Who'd have thought that I would award 5 stars to a book about the establishment of the U.S. Forest Service and a devastating forest fire? Actually, in addition to the BIG burn, it was about BIG personalities, BIG politics, BIG money, BIG egos, and BIG mistakes. Even though I have lived in Idaho for 33 years, I had never heard of the 1910 Big Burn that destroyed the town of Wallace, Idaho and other smaller towns, as well as 2.6 million acres of national forest land and over 500,000 acres of priva...more
In The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America, Timothy Egan reports on the fires that destroyed the forests of the American west in 1910 and on Theodore Roosevelt's determination to set aside the great national forests as a public trust. Egan also introduces us to Gifford Pinchot, the chief forester, and Ed Pulaski, another important name in the history of American forests and fires. He gives us background on the first forest rangers and describes how overmatched they were aga...more
Timothy Egan is a talented writer and researcher, and he has spent a lot of time focusing on the western US. I loved The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl, so I thought I would spend some time with The Big Burn, which takes place almost in my neighborhood. At times this book was a little trying, as Egan establishes the background of the National Forest Service and the area that was affected by this massive fire. I love the detail of how people i...more
This book details what a struggle it was to establish the national park system. Sounds boring right? Well it couldn't be farther from the truth. I'm guessing the majority of people have seen the Grand Canyon or Old Faithful and I think we take it for granted that it was always there or will always be there. It was such a political battle that it took a forest fire with more energy than the Hiroshima bomb to make the idea stick.
We all know Teddy Roosevelt had the idea but this books brings into...more
We all know Teddy Roosevelt had the idea but this books brings into...more
This was a very good historical non-fiction. The name of the book refers to an enormous forest fire that swept through the mountains of Idaho and Montana in 1910. Numerous small fires had been burning in the mountains all throughout the dry summer, but they were turned into one enormous conflagration in mid August by hurricane force winds blowing in from the west. The fire raged for two days destroying two towns, hundreds of homes and over a million acres of forest. The fact that the death toll...more
Many of us know Timothy Egan from his book, "The Worst Hard Time", a story of the disaster known as, "The Dust Bowl".
Egan has come back with another historical book in "The Big Burn". This is the story of the largest forest fire in America. This is hard to believe with all the large fires that have taken place in the western states. "The Big Burn" destroyed 3 million acres in two days. I tried to put this in perspective by taking the acre of ground my house sits on an multiply that by 3 million....more
Egan has come back with another historical book in "The Big Burn". This is the story of the largest forest fire in America. This is hard to believe with all the large fires that have taken place in the western states. "The Big Burn" destroyed 3 million acres in two days. I tried to put this in perspective by taking the acre of ground my house sits on an multiply that by 3 million....more
An insightful and informative look at what could be considered the genesis of the conservation movement in this country, spearheaded by none other than President Teddy Roosevelt and the equally gilded Gifford Pinchot, both of whom managed to meld lives of privilege with a relentless love of the outdoors and the wonders of nature.
Timothy Egan has successfully woven the histories of these two men with those of the people who shared their zeal for a life among the towering trees of Idaho and Monta...more
Timothy Egan has successfully woven the histories of these two men with those of the people who shared their zeal for a life among the towering trees of Idaho and Monta...more
The massive fire in August of 1910 that swept though the states of Washington, Oregon and Montana destroyed millions of acres of prime forest and caused an incredible loss to the nation. When the huge winds hit these arid states it not only destroyed everything in it's path but it pitted a fledgling foresty service against Money interests in the East who had enjoyed uncontrolled harvesting of the most valuable lumber the country owned. Political battles that ensued would not heal for many years....more
Though the subtitle mentions Teddy Roosevelt specifically, this is not a biography and he's hardly the book's lone focus. The prologue made a bit of a rough entry point for me, but I really liked the book's three part structure and found it to be an engrossing read.
Part I, "In on the Creation," focuses on the creation of the National Forest Reserves and the infant forestry service. Much of the story is about Roosevelt and close friend and founding forester Gifford Pinchot's introduction of the i...more
Part I, "In on the Creation," focuses on the creation of the National Forest Reserves and the infant forestry service. Much of the story is about Roosevelt and close friend and founding forester Gifford Pinchot's introduction of the i...more
In harrowing detail, the author details how 1910's "Big Burn" ravaged almost 3 million acres of national forest. The newly formed forest service tried to control the fire abut failed. The fire wiped out towns, and hundreds of people were killed.
The book also details the history of the National Forest service and its first leader, Gifford Pinchot. Pinchot was the country's first national forester, but business interests in Congress vetoed efforts to provide the organization with proper funding a...more
The book also details the history of the National Forest service and its first leader, Gifford Pinchot. Pinchot was the country's first national forester, but business interests in Congress vetoed efforts to provide the organization with proper funding a...more
This wasn't as good as "The Worst Hard Times", but still pretty good. The first third of the book was kind of slow as he covers some of the history & politics that led to the creation of the national forests. It's also really infuriating to read about politicians that were vehemently against things like national forests but really in favor of child labor. The middle third of the book--the description of the fire, the people involved, and the events surrounding it--picks up a bit. Covering pe...more
Timothy Egan writes great books (as well as strong columns for the New York Times). He tricks us a bit with the sub-title. Although there is much about Teddy Roosevelt the main character of this tale is really Gifford Pinchot, the nation's first forester and father of the US Forrest Service and the man most responsible for saving what's left of America's forests. Another of the featured characters is Ed Pulaski, an original forest ranger who was so damaged by the The Big Burn that he never reall...more
Timothy Eagan (The Worst Hard Time) has a winner here. I circled around this book in my favorite book store for months, then noticed that it ended up on several "Best of 2009" lists, and ended up pouncing on it when I came across it on the new books shelf of my local library. What a fabulous story. Egan seamlessly weaves together two stories. The first is a fascinating account of the August 1910 forest fire that over a two day period tore through the newly created national forests in the Bitterr...more
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Timothy Egan is a Pulitzer Prize winning author who resides in Seattle, Washington. He currently contributes opinion columns to The New York Times as the paper's Pacific Northwest correspondent.
In addition to his work with The New York Times, he has written six books, including The Good Rain, Breaking Blue, and Lasso the Wind.
Most recently he wrote "The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that...more
More about Timothy Egan...
In addition to his work with The New York Times, he has written six books, including The Good Rain, Breaking Blue, and Lasso the Wind.
Most recently he wrote "The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that...more
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