Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
John W. MacKinnon Papers, 1959-2017
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- MacKinnon, John W. (John William), 1936-2017
- Title
- John W. MacKinnon Papers
- Dates
- 1959-2017 (inclusive)19592017
- Quantity
- 0.4 linear feet
- Collection Number
- Mss 919
- Summary
- This collection is comprised of John W. MacKinnon's personal papers and logbooks from his time as a smokejumper based out of Missoula, Montana; materials relating more generally to smokejumping and its history; and newspaper and magazine clippings about smokejumping.
- Repository
-
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana-Missoula.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
John William MacKinnon was born on July 30, 1936, in Dayton, Ohio. He joined the ROTC in college and served in the army, both as an active duty soldier and in the reserves, for 11 years. He applied to be a smokejumper in 1956 and was accepted and officially certified in 1957. MacKinnon spent six years as a smokejumper, retiring in 1963. He spent his entire smokejumping career based in Missoula, Montana. Over the course of his career, MacKinnon had 79 jumps, of which 50 were fire jumps. After his retirement, MacKinnon remained active in the smokejumping community, attending reunions and collecting materials related to smokejumper culture and history.
MacKinnon's wife passed away in 1975, and he raised their four children on his own. His son, Michael, was killed in Iraq 2005. MacKinnon passed away on October 23, 2017.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection is comprised of John MacKinnon's personal papers and logbooks during his time with the smokejumpers based out of Missoula, Montana; materials relating more generally to smokejumping and its history; and newspaper and magazine clippings about smokejumping. MacKinnon's personal papers include performance reviews and photographs, as well as his records of his jumps and other activities throughout his six year career.
The collection also includes written histories of the smokejumper program, both officially produced by the Forest Service and unofficially created by former smokejumpers. There are also written histories of the Mann Gulch fire in 1949, a devastating wildfire in Helena National Forest, Montana, which killed 12 smokejumpers. The collection also includes materials related to annual smokejumper reuinions, and obituaries for former smokejumpers, including John MacKinnon and Earl Cooley.
Clippings in the collection cover a wide array of topics, all related to smokejumping. These include the work itself, women in smokejumping, the history of smokejumping and famous fires, the Mann Gulch Fire, and obituaries for former smokejumpers.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to the University of Montana.
Preferred Citation
John W. MacKinnon Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Custodial History
These materials were compiled and maintained by John MacKinnon.
Acquisition Information
This collection was donated to the Archives in 2018 by a friend of MacKinnon's.
Processing Note
Materials were organized into folders and put into chronological order. Clippings were sorted chronologically and materials about the Mann Gulch Fire were separated and placed into their own folder.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | John MacKinnon official papers Official documents and performance reviews from John MacKinnon's time as a smokejumper; includes hand-created certificate of graduation to smokejumper
|
1956-1963 |
| 1/2 | John MacKinnon smokejumper logs | 1957-1963 |
| 1/3 | Smokejumper history Rosters, write-ups of the history of the program, programs from official Smokejumper reunions
|
1959, 1974-2007, 2014 and undated |
| 1/4 | Smokejumper funeral programs Funeral programs for Frederick Brauer, Earl Cooley, and John MacKinnon
|
2007-2017 |
| 1/5 | Miscellaneous smokejumper memorabilia | undated |
| 1/6 | Photographs, folder 1 of 2 | 1957, 2001-2006, undated |
| 1/7 | Photographs, folder 2 of 2 | 2000 |
| 1/8 | Mann Gulch Fire 50th anniversary | 1999 |
| 1/9 | Clippings, Mann Gulch fire | 1986-2014 and undated |
| 1/10 | Clippings | 1961-1963, 1969 |
| 1/11 | Clippings | 1971-1979 |
| 1/12 | Clippings | 1983-1988 |
| 1/13 | Clippings | 1990-1998 |
| 1/14 | Clippings | 2000-2013 |
| OS 2/1 | Smokejumper reunion posters | 2004-2013 and undated |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- 0Smokejumping--Montana
- Forest fires--Montana
- Mann Gulch fire--Montana
- Smokejumpers--Montana--Missoula
- Smokejumping--United States
Personal Names
- MacKinnon, John W. (John William), 1936-2017--Archives
Finding aid prepared by Anne Smyrl
2019
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
