Interviewer
Denis Alexander Bittner
Files
Description
James “Smokey” Alexander discusses joining the first smokejumper squad in 1940 after working as a firefighter in Great Falls, Montana. He describes the genesis of the United States smokejumping program, fellow smokejumpers, his training, and the equipment the smokejumpers used during the early 1940s. Alexander discusses his first jump on July 20, 1940 into the Cox Creek Fire in central Idaho. He also describes subsequent jumps and the Mann Creek Fire of 1949.
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Document Type
Oral History
Subjects
Smokejumping training; Smokejumping equipment; Cox Creek Fire, 1940; Mann Creek Fire, 1949; Smokejumping, Pacific Northwest; Firefighting, Great Falls, Montana; Smokejumping program, United States
Original Date
12-8-2002
Time Period
Twentieth century
Geographic Coverage
Montana
Language
eng
Original Collection
Forestry, Land Use, and Conservation Oral History Collection, Archives and Special Collections, Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula
Digital Publisher
University of Montana--Missoula. Mansfield Library
Rights
Copyright to this collection is held by the interview participants and by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula. Permission may be required for use. For further information please contact Archives and Special Collections: (406) 243-2053 / library.archives@umontana.edu
Oral History Number
OH 404-001
Media Type
Sound; Text
Original Format
1 sound cassette (90 min.): analog + 1 transcript (13 p.: 28 cm.)
Digital Format
audio/mp3; application/pdf
Run Time
00:48:45 minutes
Local Filename
OH_404_001.mp3; OH_404_001.pdf
Citation
Alexander, James Arthur, "James Arthur “Smokey” Alexander Interview, December 8, 2002" (2002). Forestry, Land Use, and Conservation Interviews Oral History Collection. 15.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/forestrylanduseconservation_interviews/15