The Edward Pulaski Tunnel and Placer Creek Escape Route (also known as the Pulaski Tunnel) are two adjacent sites used by the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

firefighter A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

Edward Pulaski in the

Great Fire of 1910 The Great Fire of 1910 (also commonly referred to as the Big Blowup, the Big Burn, or the Devil's Broom fire) was a wildfire in the Inland Northwest region of the United States that burned in North Idaho and Western Montana, with extensions into ...

to save the lives of himself and most of his crew. The sites are located south of

Wallace Wallace may refer to: People * Clan Wallace in Scotland * Wallace (given name) * Wallace (surname) * Wallace (footballer, born 1986), full name Wallace Fernando Pereira, Brazilian football left-back * Wallace (footballer, born 1987), full name ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

in the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. Pulaski's tunnel and escape route are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1984.

Fire of 1910

The summer of 1910 was hot and dry, with an extremely high fire danger throughout the western United States. By August, there were approximately 1,400

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...

s burning out of control in northern Idaho, northeastern

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

, and northwestern

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

. On 20 August, some of these wildfires blew-up into huge

firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...

s, threatening a number of rural communities and trapping firefighting crews. One of those crews was led by Ed Pulaski., ''National Register of Historic Places—Nomination Form'', United States Park Service, United States Department of Interior, Washington, District of Columbia, 24 September 1984."The 1910 Fires"
, Forest History Society, Durham, North Carolina, 18 December 2014.Koch, Elers

"History of the 1910 Forest Fires—Idaho & Western Montana", ''When the Mountains Roared Stories of the 1910 Fire'', Idaho Panhandle National Forests, United States Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 1978. Pulaski and his crew were fighting the fire in an area around the west fork of Placer Creek, approximately southwest of Wallace. When the fire became too dangerous, Pulaski ordered his forty-five men to evacuate toward Wallace. As they retreated, a second fire blocked their way, leaving them surrounded by fire. Pulaski knew the area so he was able to lead his men through the burning forest to an abandoned mine. The crew (along with two horses) entered the mine opening near the bank of Placer Creek just as the fire engulfed the area.Pulaski, E. C.
"Surrounded by Forest Fires—My Most Exciting Experience as a Forest Ranger"
, ''American Forestry'' (Volume 29), American Forests, Washington, District of Columbia, August 1923, pp. 485-486. The mine was actually a short prospecting tunnel that had been abandoned because no ore was found there. The mine opening was high and wide. At the entrance, there were

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae *Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona * ...

floor planks and squeeze caps logs in place to prevent

spalling Spall are fragments of a material that are broken off a larger solid body. It can be produced by a variety of mechanisms, including as a result of projectile impact, corrosion, weathering, cavitation, or excessive rolling pressure (as in a ball ...

. The total length of the mine was only ; however, that was enough to shelter Pulaski and his crew. As the fire raged outside the mine, the heat caused the cold air in the tunnel to rush out, replacing it with hot air and smoke. Pulaski ordered the men to lie down on the floor of the mine where there was still some breathable air. As the fire closed in around the tunnel entrance, timber beams at the mouth of the tunnel began to burn. Pulaski carried water in his hat from pools on the mine floor to the entrance, trying to douse the flames. In the process, he was badly burned. Eventually, Pulaski fell unconscious, as did all his men. The next morning, Pulaski counted 39 living men. One of his crew had been killed by a falling snag on the way to the mine; five others had died from

smoke inhalation Smoke inhalation is the breathing in of harmful fumes (produced as by-products of combusting substances) through the respiratory tract. This can cause smoke inhalation injury (subtype of acute inhalation injury) which is damage to the respirator ...

during the night (the two horses also died). After the fire in the surrounding forest died down, Pulaski and his crew followed Placer Creek to safety in Wallace."Pulaski Tunnel Trail"
Idaho Panhandle National Forests, United states Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, accessed 20 December 2014. In just two days, the Great Fire of 1910 consumed of forest. The six men lost in or near Pulaski's tunnel were among 78 firefighters killed by the fire. There were also seven civilians who died in the fire; bringing the total loss of life to 85 people. Because of its association with Ed Pulaski and the Great Fire of 1910, the Pulaski Tunnel and fire escape route were listed on the

in 1984. The tunnel also provides valuable information on historic mining methods in the Idaho panhandle."Pulaski Tunnel Trail"
Idaho Division of Tourism Development, Boise, Idaho, accessed 20 December 2014.

Site restoration

For many years, the only visible sign of Pulaski's escape route and refuge tunnel were two historical markers along a forest road south of Wallace. In 2002, a citizens group was organized to restore Pulaski's tunnel and improve the trail to the site. The effort was known as the ''Pulaski Project''. The Forest Service joined the effort and began to develop the trail in 2005. Since then, the full length of the trail has been cleared and graded. In addition, five trail bridges have been installed along with a dozen interpretive signs that provide information about Pulaski, the 1910 fire, and various features found along the trail. At the trailhead, a parking area and restroom have been built."The Pulaski Tunnel Trail Restoration"
Idaho Panhandle National Forests, United states Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, accessed 20 December 2014. Today, the trail is open to foot traffic only. From the trailhead, the hike to the tunnel is approximately , a round-trip hike of . The elevation gain between the trailhead and the tunnel is , making the hike moderately challenging. The trailhead is located just off Forest Road 456, approximately south of Wallace, Idaho."Trail Project Description"
''News Coverage of the 1910 Fire and Pulaski Project'' (information compiled by Jim See), Wallace, Idaho, 2012. File:Pulaski Tunnel after 1910 fire.jpg, Tunnel after 1910 fire File:Pulaski Tunnel entrance, 1910.jpg, Tunnel entrance, 1910 File:Pulaski Tunnel sign, 1960.jpg, Historic marker, 1960 File:Pulaski Tunnel Trail bridge installation.jpg, Trail bridge installation File:Pulaski Trail interpretive sign.jpg, Trail interpretive sign

References

External links

Take a virtual hike to the Pulaski Tunnel
- Virtual tour of the Pulaski Tunnel Trail
The 1910 Fires
a history of the Great Fire of 1910 from the

Forest History Society The Forest History Society is an American non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of forest and conservation history."Forest History Society." Echo Project. Center for History and New Media, George Mason University. http://echo.gmu. ...

website.
Pulaski's first-hand account of the 1910 fire
published in the August 1923 edition of ''American Forestry''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pulaski, Edward, Tunnel and Placer Creek Escape Route Wildfires in Idaho National Register of Historic Places in Shoshone County, Idaho 1910s wildfires in the United States 1910 fires in the United States 1910 natural disasters in the United States