An Ounce - For Your Consideration
Discover hidden stories from history—bite-sized, clever tales that challenge what you thought you knew. At An Ounce, we uncover the little moments that quietly changed everything, surprising truths, and fascinating facts you won’t hear elsewhere.
I’m Jim Fugate—retired firefighter, lifelong learner, and an outside-the-box thinker who loves sharing history’s hidden gems. These quick, engaging stories don’t take themselves too seriously, won’t steal your precious time, and might just make you feel a little bit smarter.
I hope you’ll join a community of curious minds who enjoy a fresh take on history—where conversation is always open and everyone’s invited.
An Ounce - For Your Consideration
The Big Burn: The Forgotten Firestorm That Changed America
The 1910 Big Burn wasn’t a wildfire — it was a firestorm that outran horses, erased towns in minutes, and nearly destroyed the entire U.S. Forest Service.
In August 1910, a perfect storm of drought, wind, bad policy, and impossible conditions triggered one of the most devastating disasters in American history. This is the real story of the Big Burn—and why its lessons still matter.
You’ll learn how disaster conditions align, why suppression shaped modern megafires, and how Ranger Ed Pulaski saved his men against impossible odds.
Tap subscribe so you don’t miss the next twist in history.
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Related Episodes / Playlists
The Big Burn’s most relevant companion episodes:
• Piper Alpha Disaster – https://youtu.be/eBoFtdwMr6E
• Disaster Files Playlist – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvguDu9efxtos3CO6X-8E05p-gX1riBPz
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📚 References
U.S. Forest Service Big Burn Overview – https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r1/learning/history-culture/?cid=stelprdb5279646
Pulaski Tunnel Trail Information – https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/ipnf/recarea/?recid=6765
National Interagency Fire Center Historical Fires – https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/statistics/historical
Smithsonian Magazine – The Big Burn of 1910 – https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-big-burn-180952126/
Library of Congress Wildfire Archive – https://www.loc.gov/collections/wildfires/
Speed & Spread Documentation (re: “outrunning horses”)
Forest History Society – The 1910 Fires – https://foresthistory.org/research-explore/us-forest-service-history/policy-and-law/fire-u-s-forest-service/famous-fires/the-1910-fires/
Historical summary describing hurricane-force winds, rapid spread, and escape attempts outrun by the firestorm.
InterMountainHistories.org – “The Big Burn” – https://www.intermountainhistories.org/items/show/623
Contains firsthand-style testimony: “Firefighters … reported that it was near impossible to outrun the heat because the inferno moved at the speed of a charging horse.”
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Credits
Music: YouTube Audio Library
Images/Footage: iStock and Getty, backdrops are generated by AI.
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Hashtags
#BigBurn #WildfireHistory #DisasterFiles #AnOuncePodcast
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🎯 Chapters (Timestamps)
(Estimated based on final narrative pacing)
00:00 – Fire Outran Horses
00:20 – The Big Burn of 1910
01:37 – The Conditions for Disaster
03:08 – Crown Fire
05:05 – The 48-Hour Firestorm
06:00 – Inside the Pulaski Tunnel
07:57 – Aftermath & What Was Lost
09:50 – An Ounce
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10 second pre-roll promo for An Ounce Podcast on YouTube