Smokey Bear Day

A black and white photo of two young girls with a Smokey Bear doll

August 9, 2022 marks Smokey Bear's 78th birthday!

The Smokey Bear doll featured in this photo is part of our collection; libraries used it for the Summer Reading Club in the 1950s. The Ad Council and Forest Service commissioned artist Albert Staehle to create the fictional character to help prevent forest fires.

Smokey's popularity remains strong, and so does the effort to protect America's land. Check out the resources below from our collection to learn more about South Carolina forests and watch this video for an up close and personal look at Smokey Bear.

Forestry Resources in our Digital Collection

Upcoming Event

Cover of Reflections of South Carolina

"Reflections of South Carolina" with Robert Clark and Tom Poland

June 19, 2025, 3:00 PM

Please join us for our next Speaker at the Center talk with writer Tom Poland and photographer Robert Clark on Thursday, June 19th, at 3:00 p.m., to explore their latest release, "Reflections of South Carolina."