This collection of two interviews details the experiences of smokejumpers and support personnel who worked for the U.S. Forest Service during the 1940s-1960s. The interviews were conducted in 1987 by Daniel Hall. The interviewees discuss smokejumper training and the changes in smokejumper policies from the program’s early days in the 1940s until the 1960s. They talk about the U.S. Forest Service’s safety record as it relates to the smokejumper program, the Mann Gulch fire, and the conscientious objectors who served as smokejumpers during World War Two. The original interviews are held as Oral History collection OH 180 at the Archives and Special Collections, Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula.
This collection includes 2 interviews.
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Alice Page Interview, November 5, 1987
Alice Page
Alice Page talks about her 30-year career with the U.S. Forest Service, and explains her duties within the Division of Fire Control as secretary for the division chief. Page reflects on the development of the smokejumpers program and the Forest Service’s safety record which boasted ... Read More
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Roy Wenger Interview, October 24, 1987
Roy Wenger
Roy Wenger discusses the origins of the Civilian Public Service [CPS] program which he served under as a smokejumper for the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado and Montana during World War Two. He also describes his career after his smokejumping days and how working for ... Read More