The 70th anniversary of the Mann Gulch fire tragedy in Montana won’t go unmarked.
The U.S. Forest Service and its partners, including the Museum of Mountain Flying, are formulating plans for a public event on Monday, Aug. 5, near the Meriwether Picnic area at the Gates of the Mountains north of Helena.
Twelve young Missoula-based smokejumpers and fire guard Jim Harrison of Missoula lost their lives when the routine wildfire blew up on Aug. 5, 1949, in the steep, rocky gulch 40 miles north of Helena. The jumpers were flown to the fire on a Johnson Flying Service Douglas DC-3, N-24320, which has gained recent fame as Miss Montana. The airplane was resurrected by the Missoula flying museum and flown to and from Europe in May and June to help commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day and the 70th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift.