Edward Pulaski Tunnel and Placer Creek Escape Route
Encyclopedia
The Edward Pulaski Tunnel and Placer Creek Escape Route are two adjacent sites used by firefighter Edward Pulaski
in the Great Fire of 1910
to save the lives of himself and his crew.
Pulaski and his crew were fighting the fire in area around the west fork of Placer Creek when they became trapped by a backfire
from Wallace, Idaho
. The crew entered a prospect mine opening near the water level of Placer Creek and waited out the fire. They then followed Placer Creek to safety.
The tunnel was actually an entrance to a prospect mine. The mine opening was six feet high and five feet wide. There are cedar floor planks in from the entrance and squeeze caps (logs put in place to prevent spalling
) placed further in from the entrance. After 120 feet, there is an offset of 10 feet and a widened area used for storage. Because this mine was built using hand drills and wheelbarrows, the length of the mine was only about 250 feet. It was enough to save Pulaski and his crew.
Although the mine followed a vein, there was no ore, and the mine was abandoned.
The tunnel (actually a prospect mine) was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
for its association with Ed Pulaski and also for its potential to provide information on mining in the Idaho Panhandle.
Ed Pulaski
Edward C. "Ed" Pulaski was a U.S. Forest Service ranger based in Wallace, Idaho. Pulaski traveled west and worked as a miner, railroad worker, and ranch foreman before joining the forest service in 1908.-Great Fire of 1910:...
in the Great Fire of 1910
Great Fire of 1910
The Great Fire of 1910 was a wildfire which burned about three million acres in northeast Washington, northern Idaho , and western Montana...
to save the lives of himself and his crew.
Pulaski and his crew were fighting the fire in area around the west fork of Placer Creek when they became trapped by a backfire
Controlled burn
Controlled or prescribed burning, also known as hazard reduction burning or Swailing is a technique sometimes used in forest management, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. Fire is a natural part of both forest and grassland ecology and controlled fire can be a tool for...
from Wallace, Idaho
Wallace, Idaho
Wallace is a historic city in the Panhandle region of the U.S. state of Idaho and the county seat of Shoshone County in the Silver Valley mining district...
. The crew entered a prospect mine opening near the water level of Placer Creek and waited out the fire. They then followed Placer Creek to safety.
The tunnel was actually an entrance to a prospect mine. The mine opening was six feet high and five feet wide. There are cedar floor planks in from the entrance and squeeze caps (logs put in place to prevent spalling
Spall
Spall are flakes of a material that are broken off a larger solid body and can be produced by a variety of mechanisms, including as a result of projectile impact, corrosion, weathering, cavitation, or excessive rolling pressure...
) placed further in from the entrance. After 120 feet, there is an offset of 10 feet and a widened area used for storage. Because this mine was built using hand drills and wheelbarrows, the length of the mine was only about 250 feet. It was enough to save Pulaski and his crew.
Although the mine followed a vein, there was no ore, and the mine was abandoned.
The tunnel (actually a prospect mine) was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
for its association with Ed Pulaski and also for its potential to provide information on mining in the Idaho Panhandle.