The yellowstone fires of 1988 threatened to burn right through the gateway communities of Cooke City and Silvergate MT. Backfires were lit, the entire town was sprayed with fire retardant, prayers were whispered and fingers were crossed. Visitors to Cooke City can today look up the side of the hills to see how close the towns came to total destruction. The fires concerned not only the residents and the business owners, but thousands and thousands of people everywhere who hold these communities near to their hearts. People who have lived and worked here and treasure the memories.

I had the opportunity to use the following photos and thought you would enjoy them. Where possible I have included a "Giant" photo for those of you who have fast DSL connections. The giant photo will fill your entire screen and provide a magnifying glass for you to click for an even larger photo.