Smokey Bear History
In 1952, Congress passed the Smokey Bear Act, which took Smokey out of the public domain and placed him under the control of the Secretary of Agriculture. The act provided for the use of collected royalties to help fund forest fire prevention and to protect Smokey from exploitation. During the 50's and 60's Smokey was featured with public figures like Bing Crosby, Dinah Shore and Roy Rodgers.
In 2004, Smokey Bear celebrated his 60th year of vigilance. He began delivering his message of fire prevention in 1944 when he appeared in a poster pouring a bucket of water on a campfire. Smokey soon became so popular that he appeared on other posters and cards.
In 1973, Captain Kangaroo presented a historical sequence of Smokey during fire prevention week. The Smokey Bear Commemorative Stamp was issued in 1984 by the U.S. Postal Service. In 1994, Smokey celebrated his 50th birthday by appearing at Disney World and the Indianapolis 500.
Even now, we still have a lot of work to do. Each new generation must be reminded of their role in wildfire prevention.
Visit www.smokeybear.com (exit DNR) for more information on Smokey Bear and wildfire prevention.
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