Eighty-two years ago Friday, a steel cable dragging a Douglas fir rubbed against a snag and sparked a fire in Gales Creek Canyon. Thus began the Tillamook Burn, a series of wildfires that destroyed more than 350,000 acres of old-growth timber.

The Tillamook Forest Center steps back in history Friday, Saturday and Sunday with “Return from the Burn,” an interactive look into how the Tillamook Burn affected what is now Tillamook State Forest before, during and after the fires.

Each day runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with recurring activities:

• Get a hug from Smokey Bear and receive a free goody bag from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Meet forest firefighters, if available during fire season, and spray a fire hose from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

• Create arts and crafts.

• See a 1930 Ford Model AA pumper truck.

• Complete in the Tillamook Forest Center treasure hunt or Wheel of Forest game and win prizes.

At 1 p.m. Saturday, nature educator Bruce Rottink offers a glimpse into logging before the chainsaw and the tools used to bring down giants, like oil bottles, falling wedges, cat chokers and a “Tillamook Diving Board.”

At 1 p.m. Sunday, historian Ed Kamholz provides a pictorial overview of the railroad development of Oregon, including main line carriers, branch lines, trolleys, interurban lines and private railroads, primarily for logging.

Kamholz also tells people about the Oregon Historical Railroads Project, which will map all of Oregon’s historical railroads, from the state’s first wooden tramway in 1846 to the present, and provide the information online.

The Tillamook Forest Center is located at 45500 Wilson River Highway, at milepost 22 on Oregon Highway 6.