Sunday, September 20, 2009

Cold Missouri Waters ...

Like a good many Montanans, I'm fascinated by the story of the Mann Gulch fire -- the 1949 wildfire that claimed the lives of 13 young Forest Service smokejumpers. It's the inspiration for one of the most remarkable of all Montana books: Norman Maclean's Young Men and Fire. And as my friend Angharod recently pointed out to me, it was the inspiration for a fairly well-known folk song, too: "Cold Missouri Waters," by the Canadian artist James Keelaghan. Here's a sample stanza:
August 'Forty-Nine, north Montana
The hottest day on record, the forest tinder dry
Lightning strikes in the mountains
I was crew chief at the jump base, I prepared the boys to fly
Pick the drop zone, C-47 comes in low
Feel the tap upon your leg that tells you go
See the circle of the fire down below
Fifteen of us dropped above the cold Missouri waters

2 comments:

  1. My friend Trudi who I believe you've met's father was on that team, but was sick and didn't get dispatched to the fire. He's been interviewed many times regarding the incident.

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  2. Oh, yeah ... I think I remember you saying that. There probably aren't too many from that era left; anyone who was, would be pushing 80 by now.

    You should read Young Men and Fire sometime if you haven't ... it's pretty cool stuff. And it's got a short story in the beginning of it that just breaks my heart.

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