In the late 1800s and early 1900s forest fires did not cause a great deal of alarm or concern. Most of the fires were small in size—twenty acres or less. Some times they were fought and most often left to burn to extinguish themselves. The following is an interesting example from the Lassen Advocate of July 26, 1907:
“The forest fires are late in starting this season. There was a blaze up the river, west of Susanville Thursday and smoke and resinous odor of burning pine were very percipible. Whether extinguished or burnt out, the atmosphere is clear and smokeless today.”
What happened. Locally, saw the establishment of large timber companies and their subsequent sawmills. This produced industrial l scale logging, unknown to the region. Some of the mechanical equipment were known to spark fires, and in some cases large fires were created in logged off areas. At the same time, the national forest service gained prominence and one of its main objectives was fire prevention. Another consideration—weather. From 1860-1916 was an extremely wet weather cycle, followed by a twenty year dry cycle.
Tim
My father mentioned that when he and the sheep herder left in the fall for the Sacramento Valley, they would set fire to the stumps, fallen branches, etc. Then Smokey Bear came along and burning was not allowed.