Silver City Smokejumper Base Closes For Good, Ending A Long History In The Gila.

This base has a long and storied tradition that dates back almost 80 years. At its inception, 8 smokejumpers plus a foreman from Missoula, Montana, and a pilot from Oregon were asked to fly down to the Gila National Forest in New Mexico for an experimental trial after a large lighting bust that spring. In 1954, the Silver City base expanded staffing to …