Monuments Replaced In Honor Of Mann Gulch Smokejumpers
Author: Chiara Cipriano, US Forest Service
Monuments Replaced in Honor of Mann Gulch Smokejumpers
Chiara Cipriano
US Forest Service
HELENA, Mont. – May 22, 2024 – In coordination with the Last Chance Backcountry Horsemen, the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest replaced four of the monuments honoring the men who perished in the 1949 Mann Gulch Fire.
On Tuesday, May 21, mules transported the new monuments to the Mann Gulch site in the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness. A team of Forest Service staff alongside the Montana Discovery Foundation installed the new monuments and will return to clean and paint the new crosses.
“We could not do this work without all of the volunteers and partners supporting it,” said Helena Ranger District Trails and Wilderness Coordinator Lucas Parriman. “We are also grateful to Matt Whetzel from Whetzel Concrete Construction Company for producing the new monuments in kind for us and working with our heritage employees to ensure the historical match to existing monuments. Students taking a metal class at East Helena High School also worked on a new nameplate for Leonard Piper.”
The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest is working with the National Smokejumper Association, Montana Discovery Foundation, Montana DNRC, Wild Montana, Montana Historical Society, Forest Fire Lookout Association, IFlyBigSky, and other partners to prepare upcoming memorial tribute events in downtown Helena on August 3-5, 2024. Details for upcoming events can be found here: Mann Gulch 75 – Montana Discovery Foundation.
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Image 1 Caption: Volunteers with Last Chance Backcountry Horsemen convened early Tuesday morning to load up mules with the new monuments, cement mix, tools and water that were then carried out to Mann Gulch.
Photo Provided by USFS
Image 2 Caption: One of two sets of mule strings that transported the new monuments, tools, and materials up to Mann Gulch morning of Tuesday.
Photo Provided by USFS
Image 3 Caption: Ellie Fitzpatrick, executive director of Montana Discovery Foundation, worked alongside Forest Service staff to replace several of the monuments at Mann Gulch Tuesday, May 21.
Photo Provided by USFS
