| Fire
lookouts topic of next lecture
On Thursday Linda DeEulis presents “Life on a Lookout: A Vanishing Lifestyle,” the third lecture of the  Historical
Museum at St. Gertrude Fall Lecture Series.
Linda DeEulis was a fire lookout for fourteen years in Central Idaho and has worked for the U.S. Forest Service and the Southern Idaho Protective Association. This presentation will cover the history of fire lookouts in Central Idaho as well as details of the lifestyle and the type of people that have been drawn to it. DeEulis will read from journals of her years on Idaho lookouts and tell the story of Idaho’s unique place in forest fire history. “It’s very solitary,” she says. “It puts you in touch with what’s true. You seldom hear total silence…your ears ring to hear a sound. You live by the sunrises and sunsets, by the actual physical world around you, not a technological one.” In the 1930’s Idaho had more fire lookouts than any state and developed an effective,hands-on system of keeping small fires in check. DeEulis will bring historical photos along with fire-finding equipment such as the “aladade.” She will describe the sensitivities to the wilderness that develop with time and diligence. Since her work as a firelookout, Linda DeEulishas become Executive Director of Snowden Wildlife Sanctuary, founded in 1989 to rehabilitate wildlife and educate the public in ways to live in harmony with animals. She has also served as an environmental interpreter at Ponderosa State Park. The presentation “Life on a Lookout: A Vanishing Lifestyle” is Thursday night, October 13, at 7 p.m. in the Johanna Room at Spirit Center. For more information call 208-962-2050 or visit www.HistoricalMuseumatStGertrude.org.  Roughing it? A power outage in the Cottonwood area last Thursday evening brought adventure to Terry Abraham’s presentation at the Historical Museum at St. Gertrude’s Fall Lecture Series. Abraham’s lecture recounted observations of 19th Century British travelers who visited the Rocky Mountain West. Just as those travelers must have gathered around flickering campfires and fireplaces at night to share daily adventures, the 22 intrepid souls caught in the power blackout huddled around a flickering computer screen in a candle-lit room of the Monastery’s Spirit Center. The innovation and flexibility of those early adventurers was mirrored in the willingness of the museum’s guests to overcome the challenge of the darkness and learn more about our western history. The spirit of the early explorers and settlers is still alive in Idaho County. The lecture was sponsored by the Museum and the Idaho Humanities Council. |
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