Incident Name: Peshtigo
Date: 10/8/1871
Personnel: between 1200 and 2400 lives lost
Age:
Agency/Organization: volunteers
Position:
Summary: On the evening of October 8, 1871 the worst recorded forest fire in North American history raged through Northeastern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, destroying millions of dollars worth of property and timberland, and taking between 1,200 and 2,400 lives. (from The Great Peshtigo Fire of 1871)
Maps
Peshtigo, Wisconsin
{mosmap lat=’45.054465’|lon=’-87.749278’|marker=’0’|text=’Peshtigo, Wisconsin’}
Newspaper Map from RootsWeb
Reports, Documentation, Lessons Learned
- Fire Management Today V 64 #4, Fall 2004 (645 K pdf)”The Air Was Fire”: Fire Behavior at Peshtigo in 1871 (on pp 20-30)
- The Great Peshtigo Fire of 1871 by Deana C. Hipke.
- Peshtigo Fire Website with survivor stories
- Peshtigo, WI just prior to the fire from RootsWeb
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Wildlandfire.com Links:
Media Articles and Reports
- Conflagration in Wisconsin, Destruction of immense forests, Miles of territory burned over, Destitution among the inhabitants10/7/1871 | Online Article
The fire which are now prevailing in six or seven northwestern counties of Wisconsin never had a parallel since the settlement of the country… (more at the link…)
- History of the Peshtigo fire, October 8, 1871: Article from 1921… Peshtigo Residents Look Back 50 years later
- Pernin, Peter, 19th century (for purchase): “The great Peshtigo fire: an eyewitness account”
- Fire in the Midwest! From “today in history”
- Firestorm at Peshtigo: A Town, Its People, and the Deadliest Fire in American History — a book (2002) by William Lutz and Denise Gess
Photos, Videos, & Tributes
- The Great Peshtigo Fire Memorial Photos
- Peshtigo Fire Pictures and Photos from the Wisconsin Historical Society
- Peter M. Leschak reads aloud from his book Ghosts of the Fireground the section on The Great Peshtigo Fire, Wisconsin, 1871 (audio) Scroll down.
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