"The history of the Northwest is inseparable from the history of fires in the Northwest, and the fires of 1910 are legendary here. Ordeal by Fire brings to life one of the most exciting periods of American history, a time when people of vastly different backgrounds -- Italian and Irish immigrants, Black soldiers, prospectors, loggers, forest rangers, farmers and railroad men -- were learning to live both with each other and with the ancient natural cycles of a harsh yet beautiful land. The fires were also the first big test of one of American's most profound political ideas: could, and should, the federal government manage and protect America's natural resources? For better and for worse, these fires shaped how Americans would view wild land fires and fire protection, and its impacts on our landscapes and on how we mange our lands are with us to this day"--Container.