The American Wildfire Experience began as The Smokey Generation, a wildland fire oral history and digital storytelling project. The Smokey Generation is a passion project dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing the stories and oral history of wildland fire – we’ve collected stories from wildland firefighters representing every decade from the 1940s to present. Our goal is to collect and share stories from wildland firefighters throughout the country so that we can preserve the history and culture of the wildland firefighting industry and stimulate discussion about wildland fire itself. With more than 100 oral history interviews, the collection is a rich and engaging representation of the world of wildland fire. Here are a few videos from the collection:
The project contains a rich collection of histories, experiences, and perspectives. Well worth a visit: TheSmokeyGeneration.com
