The Peshtigo Fire of 1871 (Episode 25)

In this episode, we look at the events surrounding the Great Peshtigo Fire - the deadliest wildfire in American history. If you’ve never heard of it, that’s probably because it took place the same day as the Great Chicago Fire, on October 8, 1871. Unlike the blaze in Chicago, however, conditions surrounding the Peshtigo fire turned it into a phenomenon known as a firestorm – a debris-laden flaming tornado that swept over the town of Peshtigo and surrounding communities at horrific speeds and temperatures, ultimately killing at least 1500 people (and possibly as many as 2500). We’ll give you some eyewitness accounts, an overview of just how flammable Peshtigo was in 1871, an introduction to the Peshtigo Paradigm, and the rundown on why you never want to use a white pine for a Christmas tree.

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Sources for this episode include:

“The Wisconsin Fires – Additional Particulars of the Unusual Phenomena Attending Them – Balls of Fire in the Air – Swift March of the Flames”, by staff writer (Milwaukee Sentinel, as printed in NYT), 1871

“The Peshtigo Fire”, by S. Holbrook (The American Scholar), 1944

“Fire at Peshtigo” by Robert W. Wells, 1968

“The Peshtigo Fire, October 8, 1871: Calamity and Response”, by N. Flesch (University of Wisconsin - thesis paper), 2009

“147TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREAT PESHTIGO FIRE” by T. Baldwin (US Congressional Record) 2018

“Menominee Nation honored for assisting victims of Peshtigo fire”, by K. Vinehaut, 2018

“Remembering the Great Peshtigo Fire of 1871”, by G. Havel, (Fire Engineering), 2007

"Personal Letter to Mary Newberry", by Martha Newberry Coon, 1871