their representatives met at Coeur d'Alene and the Coeur 

 d'Alene Timber Protective Association was then and there 

 formed. 



This meeting was well attended and practically all 

 owners of timber land within our district, including a repre- 

 sentative of the State of Idaho, signed the articles of asso- 

 ciation adopted. 



The benefits of co-operation were so apparent that with- 

 in a year three other associations, embracing other timbered 

 districts within the state of Idaho, were formed on the same 

 plan; and the Washington Forest Fire Association, embrac- 

 ing practically all of the timbered area of the State of 

 Washington, was organized along corresponding lines. 

 Since that time the movement has spread until at the present 

 time there are similar organizations in the states of Mon- 

 tana, Oregon and California. 



As the work progressed the necessity for some legisla- 

 tion along these lines became evident, and at the regular 

 biennial session of the legislature of the State of Idaho in 

 January, 1907, Mr. J. P. Fallen, representative from Koot- 

 enai County, introduced the Fallon Fire Law, which was 

 drawn by our Association, and provides for local adminis- 

 tration under the authority of the state. Mr. F. J. Davies, 

 being fully conversant with our needs, was sent to the 

 state capital to assist in the passage of this act by making 

 such explanations as might be necessary, and the bill was 

 passed by the House of Representatives without a dissent- 

 ing vote. With the assistance of Captain Spaulding, senator 

 from Kootenai County, it passed the Senate, was signed by 

 Governor Gooding, thus becoming a law. Our work during 

 the next two years disclosed the desirability of some minor 

 amendments to this act, which were made by the legislature 

 at its 1 909 session, these amendments being more in the 

 nature of improvements to the machinery than change of 

 the machine itself. 



Under the Fallon Fire Law we have gone steadily on 

 perfecting our organization and improving our methods 

 until the present, when, although further improvement is 

 our watchword, we have a most efficient organization. 



We next turned our attention to co-operation with the 

 United States Forest Service, the United States owning 

 many thousands of acres intermingling with the holdings 

 of our members, and patroled by their guards or rangers 

 who were in many places duplicating our own efforts; and 



