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The Peshtigo Fire of 1871: A Captivating Guide to the Deadliest Wildfire in the History of the United States of America That Occurred in Northeastern Wisconsin
If you want to discover the history of the Peshtigo Fire of 1871, then keep reading...It’s likely true that most people picking up this book have never even heard of a place called Peshtigo. This is hardly this little town on the shores of Lake Michigan is hardly a remarkable place in the modern day. Its residents number less than four thousand, and there’s nothing particularly special about it at first glance. But one does have to look twice at its motto. “A city rebuilt from the ashes.” Peshtigo may be just another small Wisconsin town today, but a hundred and fifty years ago, it really was nothing but ashes. This town was one of the hardest hit in the deadliest wildfire event in American history—and no, I’m not talking about the Great Chicago Fire, even though it also occurred on the very same night. The Great Peshtigo Fire of 1871 claimed four times as many lives as the fire in Chicago, and yet this cruel twist of fate has left it almost unheard-of, while the (untrue) tale of Catherine O’Leary’s cow continues to echo through the centuries with unabated vigor. The story of the Great Peshtigo Fire has not been told nearly often enough, and yet it is a story that will captivate every reader. Parts of it seem to border on science trees exploding in the heat of the fire, a tornado made of flames sweeping through an entire town in a single hour, birds caught up and burned in mid-air. Yet all of it is true, and so are the stories of the people who witnessed the fire first-hand and survived it.In The Peshtigo Fire of 1871: A Captivating Guide to the Deadliest Wildfire in the History of the United States of America That Occurred in Northeastern Wisconsin, you will discover topics such Before the BlazeLife in PeshtigoAsh Like SnowNature Lifted up Its VoiceA Holocaust of FireAmong the AshesFlickers of HopeComposed of Wind and FireWildfires through American HistoryAnd much, much more!So if you want to learn more about the Peshtigo Fire of 1871, scroll up and click the "add to cart" button!
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
106 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 15, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 18, 2020
Good accounts, bad editing.
I know a lot about the Peshtigo Fire and have been fascinated by it since I was a kid. The accounts in this book are wonderful. But the proofreading or editing errors were very distracting. The author refers to logs being floated down the Ohio River, a river nowhere near Wisconsin, and to a train from Wisconsin going north to Chicago. At least get easily researched details, like geography, right!
I know a lot about the Peshtigo Fire and have been fascinated by it since I was a kid. The accounts in this book are wonderful. But the proofreading or editing errors were very distracting. The author refers to logs being floated down the Ohio River, a river nowhere near Wisconsin, and to a train from Wisconsin going north to Chicago. At least get easily researched details, like geography, right!
June 2, 2020
This verifies other books on this fire.
This story of the Peshtigo fire gives much of the same information of other books on this fire. My mother use to say her family's records were burned up in the Peshtigo fire. It wasn't until a few years ago that I learned that her grandmother was a King related to the King family that mostly perished in the Sugar Bushes area.
This story of the Peshtigo fire gives much of the same information of other books on this fire. My mother use to say her family's records were burned up in the Peshtigo fire. It wasn't until a few years ago that I learned that her grandmother was a King related to the King family that mostly perished in the Sugar Bushes area.
December 1, 2022
Heartbreaking natural disaster
I love history, especially for what it reveals about people who live through it. Those stories can also make me wonder about the human condition.
This is far more than a story about a fire. It's a well-researched masterpiece about people. It truly deserves to be read.
I love history, especially for what it reveals about people who live through it. Those stories can also make me wonder about the human condition.
This is far more than a story about a fire. It's a well-researched masterpiece about people. It truly deserves to be read.
December 8, 2025
The two deadliest forces known to man…
Nature being the most fierce and then man himself, being the most savage, hateful, and greedy. In the end it will most likely be nature and God who hold the final say, God was mentioned last just as he was first and ultimately we all live but by the Grace of God.
🔥 🌪️ ☄️ 🌊 💫 🪨
Nature being the most fierce and then man himself, being the most savage, hateful, and greedy. In the end it will most likely be nature and God who hold the final say, God was mentioned last just as he was first and ultimately we all live but by the Grace of God.
🔥 🌪️ ☄️ 🌊 💫 🪨
October 10, 2025
heroism some always seem to be in the wings ready to selfishly step worward, thanks
A good read. Talks about heroism as if it’s always going to be there. Some will some won’t. It’s interesting that some will step forward always.
A good read. Talks about heroism as if it’s always going to be there. Some will some won’t. It’s interesting that some will step forward always.
June 10, 2020
Captivating is to mild a word describe history. I had to finish it in one sitting.
August 20, 2026
very short. no real info, little background.
very short. no real info, little background info . Sounds like the original work from 1885 would be a good read.
very short. no real info, little background info . Sounds like the original work from 1885 would be a good read.
June 22, 2020
Although I had known about the Great Peshtigo Fire in the past, I learned some new things about it and found this book to be a fascinating read.
Beginning with the Paleo-Indians of the Great Lakes area, Wisconsin in particular, it progresses to the Hopewellians, the first ones to plant crops. It covers Jean Nicolet who came to Wisconsin from France at age 22 and befriended the Menominee and Ho Chunk Native Americans. An interesting fact was how Wisconsin got its nickname of "The Badger State" when copper miners came there and the event which resulted in the farmers switching to dairy cows.
David Jones and Erastus Bailey saw opportunity and started a successful sawmill; a little town sprang up around it and was given the Native American name of Peshtigo. Lumberjacks and farmers were clearing land using slash and burn tactics. In 1871, Peshtigo had a severe drought and embers from the slash and burn started small fires in the woods. The fires eventually came together to form one huge wildfire.
Before reading this book, I thought that an actual tornado came at the same time and fanned the flames, but that was not the case. The text explained how a fire big enough and hot enough can create its own weather phenomenon known as a firestorm. A large area of low-pressure then came over the fire, turning it into a rare event known as a fire tornado which surviving witnesses described. The book goes on to tell about the lives of a few of the surviving families, both before and after the Great Fire.
Wiping out the town of Sugar Bush and killing everyone there, it moved on to Peshtigo, fanned by strong winds and advancing so fast that most of the town's residents couldn't escape it. Some fled to the river and submerged themselves, but later succumbed to hyperthermia. Tragically, some entire families committed suicide rather than face the prospect of being burned alive. Months later people were succumbing to smoke inhalation and infections. It's estimated that 2500 people may have died that night making it the deadliest fire in United States history.
The reason that this fire is not so well known is because it occurred on the same night as the Great Chicago Fire. Only 300 people died in that fire, but it was much more publicized due to being a famous city and the myth of Catherine O'Leary's cow kicking over a lantern to start it. A series of wildfires also exploded across Michigan that night, a result of the same drought.
There is much more to the story than this and the book goes on to discuss a number of other wildfires in the Great Lakes area over the years with some exciting scenarios of their own. In my opinion, the book is very well written and you could vividly picture what the people went through, especially the survivors. It held my interest from beginning to end.
Beginning with the Paleo-Indians of the Great Lakes area, Wisconsin in particular, it progresses to the Hopewellians, the first ones to plant crops. It covers Jean Nicolet who came to Wisconsin from France at age 22 and befriended the Menominee and Ho Chunk Native Americans. An interesting fact was how Wisconsin got its nickname of "The Badger State" when copper miners came there and the event which resulted in the farmers switching to dairy cows.
David Jones and Erastus Bailey saw opportunity and started a successful sawmill; a little town sprang up around it and was given the Native American name of Peshtigo. Lumberjacks and farmers were clearing land using slash and burn tactics. In 1871, Peshtigo had a severe drought and embers from the slash and burn started small fires in the woods. The fires eventually came together to form one huge wildfire.
Before reading this book, I thought that an actual tornado came at the same time and fanned the flames, but that was not the case. The text explained how a fire big enough and hot enough can create its own weather phenomenon known as a firestorm. A large area of low-pressure then came over the fire, turning it into a rare event known as a fire tornado which surviving witnesses described. The book goes on to tell about the lives of a few of the surviving families, both before and after the Great Fire.
Wiping out the town of Sugar Bush and killing everyone there, it moved on to Peshtigo, fanned by strong winds and advancing so fast that most of the town's residents couldn't escape it. Some fled to the river and submerged themselves, but later succumbed to hyperthermia. Tragically, some entire families committed suicide rather than face the prospect of being burned alive. Months later people were succumbing to smoke inhalation and infections. It's estimated that 2500 people may have died that night making it the deadliest fire in United States history.
The reason that this fire is not so well known is because it occurred on the same night as the Great Chicago Fire. Only 300 people died in that fire, but it was much more publicized due to being a famous city and the myth of Catherine O'Leary's cow kicking over a lantern to start it. A series of wildfires also exploded across Michigan that night, a result of the same drought.
There is much more to the story than this and the book goes on to discuss a number of other wildfires in the Great Lakes area over the years with some exciting scenarios of their own. In my opinion, the book is very well written and you could vividly picture what the people went through, especially the survivors. It held my interest from beginning to end.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews