In the American West there are certain characteristics that define this land: wide open spaces, the Rockies climbing to the sky and areas that are still truly wilderness.

Another part of the defining characteristics of the American West are wildfires. Both a destructive force but also a necessary part of the natural cycle, wildfires shape not only the natural landscape but also the political process and the lifestyle of the modern American West.

And one of the most important of these wildfire events is the Great Fire of 1910. This wildfire destroyed over three-million acres in Montana, Idaho, and Washington while causing seventy-eight deaths. The Great Fire of 1910 is better known more colloquially as The Big Blow-up or The Big Burn.

The Big Burn

Recently, PBS debuted a very good documentary that gives an overview of this event. An aptly titled documentary simply called The Big Burn.

The documentary is a summary of the events leading up the conditions for The Big Burn itself, the formation of the United States Forest Service (USFS), and how The Big Burn helped both preserve the USFS and gave it a mandate. The documentary also explores the long term impact of the fire itself (if briefly).

The Big Burn consists of historic footage and photos, contemporary scholars and authors offering insight, and actors reading lines in the manner of the Ken Burns documentaries.

For those familiar with the events of this fire and the history of the USFS, there aren’t many new revelations. A unique viewpoint I did appreciate were the portions of the documentary about the Buffalo Soldiers and their role in the firefighting. Often the history of the Western United States is from one viewpoint. Seeing the diversity of American history is always welcome. Of course, for anyone new to this history, The Big Burn offers an excellent overview and introduction to this event.

Even if a person is familiar with the events and history depicted in the documentary, there is still much to see. The portion about the legendary Joe Pulaski was enthralling and adds an immediacy often missed in similar documentaries.

If I have any criticism of the documentary, it is that it only briefly touches upon perhaps the most important part of the fire. Namely its effect on the modern mandate of the USFS (typically putting out all fires immediately) and the dangers this mandate has caused with the large wildfires we now see in these times of extreme droughts combined with a growing population.

Still, it is a small criticism of an otherwise very good documentary. At sixty minutes, there is a lot of information to convey. Interested viewers will want to explore other resources for the ramifications of the fire and its role in the making of the American West.

The Big Burn is well worth watching. For people not familiar with the event, much information will be learned. And for people who know the history, new insights may be gained. A viewer interested in more thorough exploration of The Big Burn will want to read the excellent book by Tim Egan also titled The Big Burn – The PBS documentary is based upon the book. You can watch The Big Burn at Amazon.

Editor's Note: This Media installment by contributor Paul Magnanti originally appeared in Issue 22 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here.