An author from Woodland recently released a book focused on the life of fictional character Thomas Merriman as he attempts to save his neighbors and friends during the historic Yacolt Burn of 1902.
The book, “Hero of the Yacolt Burn,” was published by Doug Maynard on June 23. It’s the second book Maynard has written.
“I wrote a book a few years ago called Three Summers,” Maynard said. “When I was done, I wanted to write another book and I was looking for a topic. The topic that seemed to stand out a lot to me was something that I knew about as a Washington state history teacher and living in the Lewis River Valley.”
Growing up in the valley, Maynard would often look beyond the hills and see the scars of the burn. Even with his experience as a teacher, Maynard said he needed to undertake a thorough research process to expand his knowledge of the fire before he started writing his newest book.
“I didn’t realize when I first started, the fire actually started in Oregon and then blew across to the Washington side of the Columbia River, and then it started north toward Yacolt,” he said.
Maynard said it took about three months’ worth of research before he wrote his first manuscript. The book’s protagonist, Merriman, is meant to be a “conglomerate of a lot of different people,” he said.
“Thomas Merriman starts out in Missouri, and after listening to people talking about the need for people to move to the Pacific Northwest to claim it for the United States, he decides that that’s where he wants to go,” Maynard said. “At the time, he decides a little bit too young to go, so he works very hard for the next couple years” as he builds himself up and becomes strong.
From there, Merriman joins the Peoria Party, which is the first party that started on the Oregon Trail. Merriman eventually reaches the Lewis River Valley where he decides to live.
Merriman is supposed to embody the first men who embarked on the Oregon Trail, taking on their characteristics, Maynard said. He’s also supposed to be one of the first men to travel north of the Columbia River, because at the time, the land was owned by Fort Vancouver, which Maynard said was originally a British company that sought to protect their fur trading interests.
“I think in most times, we think that forest fires just ravage everything, it just burns everything. But in most cases, forest fires like the Yacolt Burn, there were pieces of property that were never even touched and pieces that were totally destroyed. And that’s kind of the way it was in the Lewis River Valley,” Maynard said.
Maynard has received positive feedback from the people who have read the book.
“I’m getting comments on my internet page and they’re really, really enjoying it,” he said.
Maynard plans to work on another book called “Pastor Mike: Football Coach,” which is inspired by his time as a football coach.
Hero of the Yacolt Burn can be purchased online at bit.ly/3qqDvXT.
