I think most everybody has read about the Great Chicago Fire that was reported to be out 143 years ago on this date, Oct. 10th. More than 17,000 buildings were destroyed and about 300 people died.. The folklore said the fire began when Catherine OLearys cow kicked over an oil lamp. But you may not know that on the same night of Oct. 8th, when Chicagos fire first raged, one of the worst recorded forest fires in North American history raged through northeastern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. It was known as the Great Peshtigo Fire of 1871. Extreme drought combined with land-clearing practices of the time called slash and burn contributed to the cause. The Peshtigo Fire covered about 1.5 million acres and between 1,200 to 2,400 people died in comparison to the death toll in Chicago which was about 300. A single horse drawn steam pumper was not enough to fight structure fires alone much less a forest fire of such great magnitude. The fire eventually burned out when it reached the waters of Green Bay and the rain came.
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 12:00:25 +0000
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