Peshtigo/Chicago Fire

People

100

The newspaper editor for the Eagle

Luther Noyes

200

The railroad magnate who was very influential in Chicago and Peshtigo

William Ogden

300

The governor of Wisconsin who was responsible for the immediate relief effort to Peshtigo 

Lucius Fairchild

400

Who was Reverend Peter Pernin, and why is he significant to the history of the Peshtigo Fire?

Reverend Peter Pernin was a Catholic priest who survived the fire by immersing himself in the Peshtigo River with others. He wrote one of the only firsthand accounts of the disaster, providing vivid details that have helped historians understand what happened.

500

• Who was the leader of the Peshtigo Company, which owned the lumber mill at the center of town?

Isaac Stephenson was involved with the Peshtigo Company, but it was largely William Ogden’s enterprise. The company managed lumber operations that played a central role in the town’s economy—and its vulnerability to fire.

Causes

100

The amount of precipitation the country had in the summer and winter prior to the fire

very low, drought conditions

200

Why was the Peshtigo fire overshadowed by the Chicago fire despite causing more casualties?

• Chicago was a major metropolitan center and commercial hub, while Peshtigo was a remote logging town. Telegraph lines were down.
• Chicago had better communication infrastructure, allowing news to spread rapidly
• The financial impact of the Chicago fire affected wealthy business interests and national commerce
• Chicago had more journalists and newspapers to document its disaster
• The isolation of Peshtigo meant news traveled slowly and was initially disbelieved due to the scale of destruction

300

How did the economic conditions and logging practices in 19th century Wisconsin contribute to the Peshtigo fire disaster?

• Aggressive deforestation left massive amounts of slash (branches, bark, sawdust) on the forest floor

• The "cut and run" approach to logging left highly flammable debris without proper disposal

• Railroad construction involved clearing land and burning debris, introducing ignition sources

• Economic pressure to develop land quickly led to neglect of fire safety protocols

• The area's population growth created more settlements vulnerable to fire

400

How did the weather patterns and drought conditions of 1871 created the perfect conditions for the firestorm?

• A prolonged drought throughout 1871 that dried out the forest floor, vegetation, and even building materials
• Unusually hot summer temperatures that further desiccated organic matter
• Strong low-pressure weather systems that created powerful winds on October 8th
• The collision of cold and warm fronts that generated hurricane-force winds
• The timing in early autumn when vegetation was at its driest after summer
• The multiple small fires already burning in the region that were whipped into a massive conflagration

500

The book describes the rare phenomenon of a "firestorm." How is this different from a typical forest fire?

• It creates its own weather system with hurricane-force winds drawing inward to the fire center

• The intense heat (estimated at over 2,000°F in Peshtigo) causes materials to combust before flames reach them

• Firestorms generate pyrocumulus clouds that can produce lightning, creating new ignition points

• The fire moves at exceptional speeds (the Peshtigo fire traveled 1-2 miles per minute at times)

• Firebrands and burning debris are thrown miles ahead of the main fire front

• Oxygen is consumed in massive quantities, sometimes causing asphyxiation before burning

• The fire's intensity can create fire tornadoes and other extreme fire behavior

Cleanup

100

The pestilence Peshtigo dealt with after the fire

unfarmable land, army worms, parasitic flies

200

What made the cleanup and recovery efforts especially difficult in Peshtigo after the fire?

The fire destroyed nearly all infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and communication lines. Many people who could have helped were either killed or injured, and the scale of destruction overwhelmed local resources.

300

How did the geography and transportation options affect the speed of aid delivery?

Remote location, limited rail access, and destroyed roads delayed aid; some relief took days or even weeks to arrive.

400

The amount of acreage burned in the Peshtigo Fire 

1.2-1.5 Million Acres

500

How did the simultaneous Chicago Fire impact aid efforts for Peshtigo?

The Chicago Fire received more national attention, so much aid and resources were directed there first, leaving Peshtigo’s needs largely overshadowed and delayed.

Industry

100

What were the means of major communication over long distance during this time?

Telegraph Lines 

200

How did the "cut and run" logging practices described in the book contribute to creating ideal conditions for the Peshtigo fire?

• Leaving behind enormous quantities of "slash" (branches, treetops, bark, sawdust) that dried into highly flammable material

• Removing the fire-resistant mature trees while leaving behind kindling-like debris

• Creating open areas where sunlight directly reached the forest floor, drying out vegetation faster

• Disrupting natural forest ecology that had evolved with periodic small fires

• Abandoning logged areas without any remediation or debris management

• Constructing temporary roads and camps that further fragmented forest structure

• Removing the forest canopy that would normally moderate ground temperature and retain moisture

• Creating corridors of dried debris that effectively became fire highways during the conflagration

300

What role did lumber mills play in the economic development of Peshtigo and surrounding communities?

• Serving as the primary employer in the region

• Creating company towns where the mill owner controlled housing, stores, and infrastructure

• Establishing a boom-and-bust economic cycle tied to resource extraction

• Attracting immigrant labor with promises of steady work

• Developing secondary industries like furniture making and barrel production

• Creating a cash economy in previously subsistence-based areas

• Concentrating flammable materials (lumber piles, sawdust mountains) in populated areas

• Determining transportation development to serve mill needs

• Establishing economic and political power hierarchies based on mill ownership

• Creating dense settlements of wooden structures with minimal fire breaks

400

How did the lumber industry's economic power influence local politics and regulations?

• Lumber barons often serving directly as town founders and government officials

• Company control of local newspapers, shaping public discourse

• Economic leverage over local businesses dependent on mill operations

• Financial backing of political candidates sympathetic to industry interests

• Lobbying for minimal taxation and regulatory oversight

• Influencing land use decisions to prioritize extraction over conservation

• Establishing legal frameworks that limited corporate liability for environmental damage

• Creating a political climate where questioning industry practices was economically risky

• Controlling wage structures and labor policies throughout the region

• Determining transportation priorities (roads, bridges, railroads) to serve industry needs

500

What role did railroads play in the economic model of the lumber industry?

• Providing transportation for finished lumber to distant markets

• Enabling year-round operation rather than seasonal wood transport

• Connecting inland mills to Great Lakes shipping

• Allowing specialized production rather than local consumption

• Creating predictable delivery schedules for lumber products

• Reducing transportation costs by approximately 60% compared to wagon transport

• Enabling mills to be built away from rivers, expanding logging territory

• Facilitating the shipment of specialized equipment to remote mill sites

• Creating an integrated economic network with Chicago as its hub

• Allowing immediate response to market demands rather than seasonal sales

Statistics

100

The date of both the Chicago and Peshtigo Fire 

October 8th, 1871

200

What percentage of the town of Peshtigo was destroyed?

• Virtually 100% of the town was destroyed.

300

What was the estimated population affected by the Chicago fire?

about 100,000 people left homeless from a population of ~330,000.

400

What was the estimated cost of damages in both the Chicago and Peshtigo Fire?

(Be within 5 Million Dollars)

• Peshtigo Fire – approximately $5 million 

• Chicago Fire – approximately $200 million 

500

What was the estimated volume of timber being harvested annually in the Peshtigo region by 1871?

• Reached approximately 150-200 million board feet annually in the Peshtigo area

• Represented approximately 4-5 times the sustainable yield of the forest

• Required clearing roughly 10,000-15,000 acres annually

• Employed around 2,000 loggers during peak season

• Processed through dozens of sawmills operating at capacity

• Generated an estimated $2-3 million in annual revenue (1871 dollars)

• Represented one of the most intensive logging operations in American history

• Harvested trees that were typically 150-300 years old within just a decade

• Focused almost exclusively on white pine, especially trees over 3 feet in diameter

• Created a harvest rate that would completely exhaust the resource within 20-30 years