Early Days in the Forest Service. Vols. 1-3.

Missoula: Department of Agriculture; Forest Service, 1944-1962. First edition. Three quarto volumes. 218; 83; 295, [3] pp. All volumes with numerous photographic illustrations. Publisher's printed green wrappers, each with a photographic illustration on the cover. Slight sunning to edges and the first volume with a small and inoffensive spot on front. A very good copy of this scarce item.From the Foreword in Vol. 1;"A few of us were talking one day of the yarns we had heard told around campfires by the older men in the Service -some of them hair-raising, some tragic, some ludicrous, some sad. And we agreed that steps should be taken to preserve these stories of the early days. Our historical records were made up mainly of dusty odds and ends from old files -unpeopled, factual writings and statistics. We felt that these records, to be of lasting value, should be humanized, and that the stories of the oldtimers were what we needed to provide life and interest. And so I sent out a letter to the folks who had watched over Region One through its early growing pains, and asked them to set down on paper some of their reminiscences. We have bound into this book the replies they sent in" (Evan W, Kelley, Regional Forester).These three volumes are compiled entirely of the the reminiscences of early Forest Service workers in the Northern Division. These are not written by office clerks but by the men in the field. The U.S. Forest Service Northern Region encompasses 25 million acres of land in which to experience nature at its finest. The division covers 12 national forests spread over 5 states, including the perimeter of northeastern Washington, northern Idaho, and Montana; and the National Grasslands in North Dakota and northwestern South Dakota. First editions are difficult to find.