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| Not Numbered. | Lincoln County | Visited: February 18, 2018 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | A park dedicated to the legacy of Smokey Bear, and also his final resting place! |
| What makes it historical? | THE MONUMENT SAYS: This park commemorates Smokey Bear and describes the history and development of this national symbol of forest fire prevention. The original Smokey is buried here within sight of the mountain where he was found orphaned by a fire raging in the Lincoln National Forest. The park offers extensive historical exhibits as well as a trail that identifies native plants.
OTHER TIDBITS: In the spring of 1942, a Japanese submarine bombed an oil field near Santa Barbara, California, which drew many of America’s firefighting resources to the West Coast in case of further attack. That left a lot of inland forests vulnerable to wildfire, so the US Forest Service put together a Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention (CFFP) to rally communities to protect their wildlands. By stroke of pure luck, that was the same year that Disney released the widely popular Bambi, in which beloved animals faced the perils of a raging wildfire! Disney let the CFFP use their characters in campaign posters, but that agreement was only good for a year. So the Forest Service teamed up with artist Albert Staehle to create a bipedal bear with blue dungarees and a ranger hat. They named him Smokey after “Smokey-Joe” Martin, the Assistant Chief of the New York Fire Department. The first poster, depicting Smokey Bear pouring a bucket of water on a fire, rolled out on October 9, 1944! In 1950, here in Capitan, New Mexico, a wildfire scorched the nearby mountains leaving behind a black bear cub with two scorched paws. The Forest Service rescued the cub and named him, as you can guess, Smokey! This first live Smokey Bear spent the next 26 years of his life as an ambassador for fire prevention alongside his already popular printed version. Though he spent most of his days at the National Zoo in Washington, DC, his final resting place is once again in Capitan. As a result of the Smokey Bear campaign, by 1957, annual wildfires dropped below 100,000 for the first time in history! By 1969, burnt acreage had dropped to 10% of the total acreage burned in 1941! Smokey Bear is now inseparable from wildfire prevention and has inspired similar animals in other countries around the world! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| How do I find it? | Listed Directions: US 380 In town of Capitan Annotations: From Albuquerque: ~171mi (276km) — 2.9hrs |
| When should I go? | The park is open daily from 9:00 AM until 4:30 PM (except at Christmas)! |
