Interviewer
Beth Hodder, Kjell Petersen
Files
Description
In this second interview, Gene Miller provides more information about growing up in the Swan Valley in the late 1930s and early 1940s. He describes the wildlife that lived in the area including bears and a young coyote who found Gene companionable. Miller tells more stories about his time as a U.S. Forest Service fire lookout, focusing on the wildlife there. He talks about visits from mountain goats and blue grouse, listening to elk bugling, and watching his dog chase pikas. Other wildlife incidents include finding evidence that a mule deer got its antlers caught in the ground wire for the lookout phone, feeding peanuts to Golden Mantled ground squirrels, picking huckleberries alongside a bear, and seeing wolf tracks. He also tells about a time when his dog refused to go home with a packer after Gene was helicoptered to the hospital with appendicitis.
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Document Type
Oral History
Subjects
Subjects: Pricilla Peak Lookout; Blue Mountain Lookout; Mormon Peak Lookout; Fishtrap cabin; Fire fighting, Montana; Wildlife; Animals; Coyotes; Bears; Mountain goats; Dogs; Elk; Wildlife encounters
Personal Names: Gene Miller
Corporate Names: U.S. Forest Service
Geographical Names: Montana; Lolo National Forest; Swan Valley
Occupations: Fire lookouts
Original Date
2-26-2021
Time Period
Twentieth century
Geographic Coverage
Montana
Language
eng
Original Collection
Northwest Montana Lookout Association Oral History Project, OH 453, 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 453-013
Media Type
Moving Image; Sound; Text
Digital Format
video/mp4; application/pdf; text/plain
Run Time
01:17:04 minutes
Local Filename
OH_453_013.mp4; OH_453_013.pdf; OH_453_013.srt
Citation
Miller, A. Eugene, "Gene Miller Interview, February 26, 2021" (2021). Northwest Montana Lookout Association Oral History Project. 13.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/nwmt-ffla/13