The Twin Fires

Both starting on October 8th, the Great Chicago Fire and the Peshtigo Firestorm of 1871 were some of the deadliest fires in recorded history. Although they were very similar in nature both fires had very different impacts. The summer and fall leading up to both fires was unusually dry and therefore incredibly susceptible to fire.

The Chicago Courthouse in the 1860s before the fire. Image taken from greatchicagofire.org

Chicago during the year of 1871 was an up and coming economic powerhouse. The city was a booming metropolis (for the time period) of an estimated population of 324,000. The Great Chicago Fire started for unknown reasons in a barn owned by Patrick and Catherine O'Leary. Intense winds quickly pushed the fire out of control and it raced through the city, which was comprised of many dry wooden buildings and sidewalks. The fire destroyed around 17,500 buildings leaving 1 in 3 residents homeless. The fire was put out by rain on October 10. Approximately 300 people were killed by the fire and immediately following the fire, Martial Law was declared due to the looting and lawlessness that occurred. The Chicago business district was completely destroyed, but the stockyards, wharfs, sawmills, and the railroads were only minimally damaged. Because these industries were some of Chicago's main economic bread makers, the city's finances were kept relatively stable as reconstruction began. Because the railroads where relatively undamaged and the fire was widely publicized through newspaper, help poured in from all over the country. During the reconstruction of the city, the groundwork was laid for the city as we know it today. One of the most satisfying reconstruction efforts, in my opinion, came later in 1956 when the Chicago Fire Academy was built on the exact spot the Great Chicago Fire started.

A map of the town of Peshtigo before the fire wiped it out. Image taken from the Peshtigo Fire Museum website.

The Peshtigo Firestorm started out very similar to the Chicago Fire but while Chicago recovered and bloomed, Peshtigo was devastated and then fell out of the minds of most Americans of the time. It is sometimes known as the 'forgotten fire'. The small frontier town of a population around Peshtigo was located in Wisconsin was mainly a logging town that contained the largest wooden ware factory in the country. The town was split in half by the Peshtigo river. It is not known exactly what started the fire but it was likely due to farmers and railroad workers clearing brush using the 'slash and burn' technique. The same heavy winds that whipped the Chicago Fire out of control also fed the Peshtigo Fire. Eyewitness accounts say that a wall of fire descended upon the town and that the winds and fire formed a fire tornado that tossed around rail cars and houses. When the fire finally ran its course it had burned around 1.5 million acres and left only one building standing. It's death toll was between 1,200-2,400 people meaning that most of the town and its surrounding farms were obliterated. This fire was much more deadly than the Chicago Fire but because of the total destruction and slow communication the Chicago Fire was more famous. The most detailed eyewitness accounts come from one man Reverend Peter Pernin and his writings about the fire.

These two natural disasters were incredibly devastating in their own right and inspired many art pieces. One of the largest modern day impacts was the new fire codes implemented changed how cities were built. Both fires were immortalized through paintings and sculptures that breathed life into many harrowing personal stories.

Works Cited:

National Geographic Society. “The Chicago Fire of 1871 and the 'Great Rebuilding'.” National Geographic Society, National Geographic Headquarters, 15 Oct. 2012, www.nationalgeographic.org/news/chicago-fire-1871-and-great-rebuilding/.

“The Chicago Fire of 1871.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 21 Aug. 2018, www.history.com/topics/19th-century/great-chicago-fire.

“Home.” Peshtigo Fire Museum, Peshtigo Historical Society, 2017, peshtigofiremuseum.com/

Alexander, Dave. “Peshtigo Firestorm Of 1871.” Legends of America, Legends of America, Oct. 2013, www.legendsofamerica.com/wi-peshtigofire/.