The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1947-08-14
Moiorcade Traces
LeWis-Clark RI.
Continued from Page ID

and in the saloons bordering tn,
towns lone throughfare. We
remember the words of a prett,
red-haired gal, clerk in a hote
there. Don't be too hard on OIL
boys, she adrnonished. They've
been out in the woods, away
from civilization, for a Ions
time. We topped our hat and
slowly walked away.
Pierce Ranger Station, just be.
yond the town, lies at the western
edge of Clearwater National
forest. The station is higt in the
white pine numbering country,
some BITS feet above sea level.
Ed Barry supervisor of the
Clearwater are and head ranger
at Pierce pointed out a white
stake that had been set up near
the headquarters building. At
last five feet high, that stake
had been planted there to mea-
sure the SHOWS which fall in
that locality, beginning in the
last weeks of September. In the
winter time, Barry said, the stake
is usually completely covered.
The Pierce Station is concern
ed primarily with the scientific
of white pine lumber
ing in the Clearwater Forest. OF
greatest Importance, probably,
is the blister rust station which
is maintained nearby. This dis
ease, forester Holt pointed out,
is the Scourge of the white pine
country. Expert investigation
proved, long ago, that the para
site is of the alternate host
variety, moving from gooseberry
and currant plants to the pine
tree, then back to the smaller
shrubs. Obviously, the cure is
the cutting and burning of the
currant and gooseberry bushes
in the white pine area. Pierce
Station rangers have long been
following this practice. Under
and under-financed, the
fight is tough one.
Holt stated that unless further
were taken in the near
future, younger stands of timber
would be a complete loss with
in the next few years.
The cooks at Pierce load a
chow-table with enough grub
to make Paul Bunyants lumber
jacks green with envy. Mayor
Evan Kelly, retired Regional
in between tucking
away flapjack after flapjack at
breakfast Saturday morning,
snapped some tall Bunyan tales
with Ralph 81 love these noun
tains" Reed, The circular river,
it was decided after much de-
bate, is located in northern
Idaho and not as previously
maintained, in the Minnesota
country.
A dirt road, maintained as a
utility route by the Forest Ser
vice, winds over some $50 miles
of mountain country between
Pierce and the Missoula highway.
This is the original Lewis and
Clark trail, following the very
backbone of the Bitteroot range
all the way. The caravan set out
from the western edge Saturday
morning, drove all day through
this rugged mountain country,
stopping once to visit a lookout
station located high on Indian
Graves Butte. The lookout there,
a youngSter who has taken the
job for the summer, grinned
from ear to ear. "You don't see
people out here very often" he
said. On a clear day, he report
ed, it's possible to see Kenne-
wick and Pasco, more than 200
miles to the west. That lookout
tower, incidentally, sways two
feet in a good wind.
Powell Ranger Station, located
just few miles this side of
Lolo Pass, fights a lot of forest
fires during theseason. Bud
Moore, alternate ranger at Po-
well, told us that 80 to 40 fires
were almost sure bet" be-
ween now and the beginning of
TIC SIlOwS. Lie oACo oSSAo6SS
about so per season. Most, he
said, are caused by lightning,
some are man-made.
Nevertheless, it's a far cry
from the old days when fires
unavoidably were allowed to
rage unchecked, because of in
accessibility to the back coun-
try. Now, trucks and buses can
carry fire fighters to the scene
within few hours after a blaze
has been spotted. The ultimate
in forest blaze fighting these days
is smoke jumping. In a matter
of minutes, men and equipment
can be flown to the stricken
area and parachuted in.
Last hunting season, according
to a forest service survey, 943
elk were killed in the sos, 278
acre Lolo Forest area. 1895
hunters participated, SO percent
bagged game. Rangers keep a
check on all hunters en-
tering the region during the one
season. Despite warnings,
some always get lost. Eden My
rick, Lolo Forest supervisor,
told some thrillers concerning the
subject around the campfire at
Powell Saturday night.
It's just a bouncing little
jaunt by jeep from Powell to
Meadows where the