LIS 718 Storytelling Summer 2013 Laurel Schilling

July 11, 2013

Title: The Courage of Ed Pulaski

Story Type: Realistic Story

Source

Collection of historical stories describing true events and people from Americas past or fictional characters based on actual situations. Contributed by 36 storytellers. Cogan, Jim. "The Courage of Ed Pulaski." Many Voices: True Tales from America's Past. Ed. Mary C. Weaver. Jonesborough, TN: The National Storytelling Press, 1995. 121-129. Print.

Culture Audience

American. Designed to breathe life into history. Older elementary students (grade 4 and up)

Running Time 5 minutes Characters Scenes Plot Outline

Ed Pulaski, George Howard, fire fighters, Emma Pulaski Wallace, Idaho; St. Joe Divide, Coeur dAlene National Forest; War Eagle Mine This true story takes place on August 20, 1910 in the Coeur dAlene National Forest in northern Idaho. It had been a hot, dry summer with numerous forest fires sparked both by lightning and coal-burning trains spitting out embers. Ed Pulaski, a forest ranger with the newly created U.S. Forest Service, was on St. Joe Divide with a group of 40 volunteer fire fighters. Their job was to create a fire line to protect the small town of Wallace down below. There Ed lived with his lovely wife Emma and their daughter Elsie. One worried fire fighter, George Howard, asked Ed what would happen if everything around them started to burn. Reassuringly Ed responded that all was well at the moment, but that if he called out, Bury your tools in the cache, grab a blanket, line up and follow me, they had better hustle. Sure enough, just minutes later, a strong wind blew in from the east, threatening the divide. Ed shouted the dreaded words, and the fire fighters gathered their gear and ran. Rushing downhill, the group hoped to make it to Wallace before the ridge erupted in flames. But this was a season of multiple fires. Ed saw that the eastern part of Wallace was now on fire, and the flames were spreading up towards his group. They were trapped! As St. Joe Divide burst into flames behind them, he knew that both fires would meet and they would be doomed. Any other man would panic, but not cool, deliberate Ed. Even though he was terrified for his familys safety, he had men to take care of. He knew every inch of that forest, including the location of an old mine tunnel nearby, the War Eagle Mine, at the bottom of the canyon. He led his group to the tunnel just in time, telling them to lie in the small creek at the bottom, while he laid beams of wood at the entrance and covered them with blankets. The two fires met right near the mines entrance and exploded. While the men cowered inside the tunnel, Ed doused the beams with water. Meanwhile in Wallace, Emma and Elise, along with the other residents, ran into Burke Canyon where there was a flat, treeless plain and a slag pond. There they waited in relative safety for the fire to pass.

LIS 718 Storytelling Summer 2013 Laurel Schilling

July 11, 2013

After the fire swept on into Montana, Eds team realized that nearly had survived, except for 7 men in the back who died from lack of oxygen. Ed himself was nearly left for dead, having crumpled near the entrance, blinded and burned. The group staggered back to Wallace, many horribly burned, as their boots fell apart under the smoldering ash. But they were alive. Ed Pulaskis heroism became a legend. His sight returned, although he had lung problems for the rest of his life. The Great Idaho Fire of 1910 killed 85 people and destroyed more than 6 million acres of forest and changed the way fires are fought. Ed himself designed a tool that is used to this day. It is called the Pulaski and here is a picture of it:

First Line Last Line

Saturday, August 20, 1910, was a day Edward C. Pulaski would remember for the rest of his life. Theres a story in it too because to this day its still officially calleda Pulaski.

Rhymes/Lines If you hear me call you, bury your tools in the cache, grab a blanket, line up, and To Memorize follow meif you want to live.

Telling Tips

Well cook in there. Im not goin in! You might die in there, or you can die out here. Take your pick! The boss is deadLets get out of here. Like hell Im dead! I think this story would be interesting no matter how its told because it is timely in view of the recent fires in Arizona. I had never heard of this fire, and perhaps others have not either.