The Panhandle Wildfires
Story and Photography by Bobbi and Steve Olson and Moni Hourt |
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| Click on the above image for a slide show of images by Bobbi and Steve Olson and Moni Hourt |
Approaching Chadron on Highway 385, at first everything seemed normal. Then,
abruptly, irregular borders of black met up with healthy green trees. Houses
and outbuildings sat untouched on islands of green grass – the work of
firefighters and volunteers. On street corners and at the ends of driveways
stood large handwritten signs: thank you, firefighters!
We were barely past Chadron when we
spotted a Blackhawk helicopter with its orange water bucket trailing on a long
tether. Just past Fort Robinson, the landscape opened up to miles and miles
of charred ground. Fingers of blackened grass worked their way close to the
highway.
Several years ago, our acci-dental
discovery of Sowbelly Canyon led to our ongoing passion for both the landscape
and the people of Sioux County. Every trip to this beautiful area has rewarded
us with new insights.
Then, last summer, we heard that the
area was on fire.
On television, we watched towering
columns of smoke and flames. We searched for local newspapers on the Internet
and scanned articles for familiar names. We could only imagine how the residents
of Chadron and Sioux County were coping.
After a few days, the reports began
to sound hopeful. We knew it was time to head west to see for ourselves how
people and places had fared.
In Harrison, the streets were empty.
We soon learned that everyone was at a town meeting. Across from the nearly-deserted
fire hall, clusters of tents lined the perimeter of the football field. Weary,
soot-faced firefighters were coming back in after containing the latest fire
north of town.