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Anniversary of Firestorm at Peshtigo
October 8 marks the anniversary of the deadliest recorded forest fire in American history, the Peshtigo Fire. Long overshadowed by the Great Chicago Fire (and the colorful story of Mrs. O'Leary's cow tipping over the lantern) that occurred the same day in 1871, the fire in Peshtigo consumed more than a million acres of land and claimed more than 1,200 lives. Although the fire burned 17 towns, the damage in Peshtigo was the worst, killing more than 800 people and destroying most of the town.
The night of October 8 seemed like any other to residents of the area. A long summer drought had provided some benefit to settlers and loggers who took the opportunity to clear more land. Lumbering practices of the time created large piles of sawdust and waste in the forests that loggers and settlers removed by setting small fires. Burned unchecked, these fires were commonplace to people living and working in the towns and mills. Unfortunately, the fires this night proved far different as hot blasts of wind from a storm the previous evening laid the foundation for the inferno that resulted.
Often described as a "tornado of fire," the Peshtigo Fire consumed all available oxygen, creating internal winds of more than 80 miles per hour that ripped the roofs off houses, knocked down barns, uprooted trees, and carried papers and wood as far as Canada. The speed of the flames left many people surrounded with no means of escape. The majority of survivors spent the night in rivers, ponds and lakes.
The Reverend Peter Pernin, parish priest for Peshtigo and Marinette, published his eyewitness account of the fire in 1874, from which you can read this excerpt. Pernin's full account, including a forward that places the fire in its global historical and environmental context, is also available from the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. Fifty years after the tragedy, residents recalled their experiences and memories of the fire for the Peshtigo Times newspaper. In 1971, Milwaukee Journal illustrator Melvin A. Kishner created this series of images to accompany a new book about the fire.
Although generally forgotten to history, the Peshtigo Fire left an indelible mark on the land and the lives of its victims. The few remaining artifacts salvaged from the fire are housed at the Peshtigo Fire Museum, on the grounds of Father Pernin's former church.
:: Posted October 7, 2005
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