Episode 41 : Thirty Miles from Paradise Item Info
In this episode, titled “Thirty Miles from Paradise,” we take a look at the community that exists in the Moose Creek Ranger Station. Located deep in the heart of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Moose Creek has housed Forest Service employees, work crews, volunteers, outfitters, visitors, and celebrities. Because it can only be accessed by airplane or thirty miles of non-vehicle trail, Moose Creek Ranger Station tends to foster tight communities within the people who live and work there each season. From the early days of the Forest Service in the 1920’s and 30’s, to the passage of the Wilderness Act in 1964, to the present day when the Selway-Bitterroot Foundation organizes volunteer crews to maintain the trails and manage fires, Moose Creek has been one of the central heartbeats of the Selway-Bitterroot area. The various comments presented in this podcast about living and working at Moose Creek give a small glimpse of this unique place.
Audio Clips
First of all, Penny Keck, who lived at Moose Creek for 29 years, tells about some of the interesting events and visitors.
Debbie Lee (interviewer): So you were there at Dick and Sarah's wedding or not? On the field, the Moose Creek field?
Penny Keck: Yes.
Jane Holman (interviewer): Yah, you guys were there.
DL: Yah, so what was that like to have a wedding? Was that the first wedding back there or?
PK: To my awareness, yes.
DL: Yah, so what was that like to be back there? What do you remember from that event?
PK: I just was in interesting awe of the participants more than anything else, that they chose that and I never had an opportunity to talk with Dick much why. Because actually he and I got closer after that time than preceding that time. But, no, it was an excellent wedding that I think everybody enjoyed.
DL: Yah.
PK: Yah, it's interesting to see what. There's so many things that transpired. I mean, weddings, bigwigs back there, you name it and it has occurred.
DL: Yah. Who were the bigwigs that you ran into?
PK: Oh, there's quite a few from the regional offices and, of course, one of the senators from Virginia came out there. And there were some state representatives and senators out there as well. Don't misunderstand me, it wasn't just. And this phenomenal senator from Virginia.
JH: What was his name, do you remember?
PK: Warner.
JH: John Warner?
PK: Yes.
JH: I had no idea.
PK: Yes.
DL: And why were they back there? Were they vacationing or were they on inspection?
PK: I think it was a show-me trip. I believe the supervisors and regional foresters thought it helped the Forest Service's cause to allow someone back there to understand it a little more. And, me, I was sort of in the background obviously instead of the foreground because I said let them handle it kiddos. I mean, here was, who was the ranger at the time?
JH: Groats and Geffler, Hicks.
PK: Art Seamans?
JH: Art Seamans, could be.
PK: It was either Art or Geffler. And, of course, Emil was in the thick of it. And so be it.
Gallery
- Title:
- Episode 41 : Thirty Miles from Paradise
- Date Created (ISO Standard):
- 2013-07-30
- Description:
- In this episode, titled "Thirty Miles from Paradise," we take a look at the community that exists in the Moose Creek Ranger Station. Located deep in the heart of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Moose Creek has housed Forest Service employees, work crews, volunteers, outfitters, visitors, and celebrities. Because it can only be accessed by airplane or thirty miles of non-vehicle trail, Moose Creek Ranger Station tends to foster tight communities within the people who live and work there each season. From the early days of the Forest Service in the 1920's and 30's, to the passage of the Wilderness Act in 1964, to the present day when the Selway-Bitterroot Foundation organizes volunteer crews to maintain the trails and manage fires, Moose Creek has been one of the central heartbeats of the Selway-Bitterroot area. The various comments presented in this podcast about living and working at Moose Creek give a small glimpse of this unique place. Debbie Lee and Jane Holman interview Penny Keck, Eric Melson, Bruce Farling, Anna Bengtson, Dick Walker, Mack Bohrmann, Warren Miller, and Rob Mason.
- Duration:
- 32:06
- Subjects:
- 1964 wilderness act community weddings moose creek selway-bitterroot foundation
- Section:
- Wilderness Voices
- Location:
- Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness (Idaho and Mont.)
- Publisher:
- Wilderness Voices, The Selway-Bitteroot Wilderness History Project, https://selwaybitterrootproject.wordpress.com/
- Source:
- Wilderness Voices, The Selway-Bitteroot Wilderness History Project, https://selwaybitterrootproject.wordpress.com/
- Original URL:
- https://selwaybitterrootproject.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/thirty-miles-from-paradise/
- Source Identifier:
- Selway-Podcast-ep41
- Type:
- Sound
- Format:
- audio/mp3
- Language:
- eng
- Preferred Citation:
- "Episode 41 : Thirty Miles from Paradise", The Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness History Project, University of Idaho Library Digital Collections, https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/sbw/items/sbw322.html
- Rights:
- Copyright: The Selway-Bitteroot Wilderness History Project. In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted. For more information, please contact University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives Department at libspec@uidaho.edu.
- Standardized Rights:
- http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/