California Story Fund
Fountain Fire Remembered
Acorn Community Enterprises
Montgomery Creek
Project Director: Margaret Jensen
Teens in rural Northern California gather stories about a devastating 1992 forest fire
The eight-day 1992 Fountain Fire in central Shasta County burned 300 homes and some 64,000 acres of dense forest and brush. Today, the region is still recovering from the fire’s devastation.
This project was a community effort to gather, document and share the stories of the people who lived through the fire. The project focused on the lessons learned from the tragedy, and explored the successful strategies used to rebuild homes, businesses and the life of the community.
The stories were gathered by teens enrolled in Acorn Community Enterprises’ Youth Writers’ Group. The teens receivedoral history training from Alice Hoveman, former curator of history at Turtle Bay Exploration Park, and learned how to use digital recording equipment from Lorraine Dechter of KIXE-TV and Northstate Public Radio KCHO FM 91.7.
The main audience for the stories were the residents of Round Mountain, Montgomery Creek, Oak Run and Big Bend, the Intermountain area where the fire took place. Community forums were also held in those area and Northstate Public Radio and KIXE-TV broadcast story excerpts.
Project Director Margaret Jensen said, “The ‘Fountain Fire Remembered’ stories are important as a reminder of the mistakes made and the courage and effort of individuals to build a new and stronger community.”