“Peshtigo burned in one hour, and 800 people died out of 1200.”
That’s Sally Kahl, a curator at the Peshtigo Fire Museum speaking to Seehafer News about today being the 150th anniversary of the devastating forest fire that hit the small community on this date in 1871.
“The day before the fire, unfortunately for them, 200 Frenchmen came in to work for the Woodenware factory out in the woods cutting down trees, and then all of them died that night.”
The anniversary of the Peshtigo fire doesn’t receive much attention outside northeast Wisconsin because the great Chicago Fire occurred the same night. But, the blaze fueled by drought conditions and very strong winds spread so fast that some survivors recalled it was “like a tornado.”
Kahl explained the brushfire from railroad workers clearing land for tracks grew to become an inferno.
“There was part of one building standing and that was a kiln. Otherwise, there was nothing left. Even the streets burned because of that woodware factory, they paved the streets with sawdust. They wanted to get the sawdust away from the factory because it burned so easily.”
Peshtigo Fire Monument
The massive fire scorched up to 1.5 million acres, although it skipped over the waters of Green Bay, to burn parts of Door and Kewaunee Counties. The damage estimate was $169 million, or about the same as the Chicago Fire. Kahl said there’s going to be a special commemoration tonight starting at 6:30 PM at the river, where residents tried to escape the forest fire.
“A welcome and then people telling about the fire. And what Peshtigo was like before the fire. Songs will be sung and a memorial wreath will be laid. And, then we’re going to walk back to the Peshtigo Fire Museum which is where the Catholic church was at the time of the fire. We’re having descendants of people from the fire telling the story of their families.”
Sally Kahl also stated the Peshtigo Fire Museum will close for the season after tonight’s remembrance and will reopen next Memorial Day weekend.
