of Camp Xo. 4 where the patrol was concentrated. 

 "We got very good results by keeping a reliable man 

 as straw boss with each squad. 



"Well, the 1919 fire season was certainly a corker 

 and I spent all of July and August on the fire work. 

 The season really started about June 10 or 12 and on 

 some forests extended up into October. My first job 

 was on the Madison Forest, for the Ice Creek and 

 Greenhorn fires, handling commissary and supplies. 

 I. had been out on a cruising job (Ellis ton Trespass 

 Case) from May 27 until the end of June, got into 

 Missoula on July 1 and left the same afternoon for 

 Sheridan, Mont., to help on fires. After returning 

 from Sheridan on July 11, I was sent to take charge 

 of a supply station which was established at Como 

 Lake, about 8 miles from Darby, a little town in the 

 upper Bitterroot Valley. The camp at Como Lake 

 was used as a base station for the pack trains taking 

 supplies into the Bear Creek District of the Selway 

 Forest. It was nearer to get supplies in by this route 

 than from Kooskia on the Idaho side. "We had as 

 high as 70 pack animals going back and forth on 

 this trail, and packing distances of from 30 to 50 

 miles. I was kept fairly busy at the Lake for three 

 weeks and then turned the job over to an ex-soldier 

 and came to town. 



After that was sent to the Clearwater with Jim 

 Girard. All the overhead that could be raked and 

 scraped was in demand at that time and the Clear- 

 water men 'were having their hands full. I had often 

 said I would like to get on a big fire in the western 

 part of the District, and as Girard is one of our best 



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