A Terrifying Impact
The impact of the fire was especially devastating due to the cold front that moved in from the west at the same time. It brought strong winds that sped up the flames and made them uncontrollably large. It’s estimated that the fire traveled with the aid of winds up to 110 mph. When the dust had settled, 1,875 square miles of land had been consumed, a total of 1.2 million acres. The estimated dollar amount of damages was placed at approximately $169 million; roughly the same as the fire in Chicago.
Other sources suggest that 1.5 million acres were destroyed. An accurate assessment of the number of casualties is impossible to ascertain because local records were burned in the fire. The death toll was anywhere between 1,200 and 2,500 people. A total of 16 towns suffered the effects of the fire although Peshtigo was the worst affected. According to a Report to the Wisconsin Legislature in 1873, almost 1,200 people from the town died in the fire. Peshtigo was obliterated in around an hour.
Researchers who analyzed the fire were struck by the impact it had on people at the time. Some people genuinely thought it was the beginning of the end of the world. Certainly, the sheer terror experienced by the residents of the many towns engulfed in flames is difficult to quantify; one can only imagine seeing a wall of flames coming towards you at lightning speed.
The town was rebuilt, and visitors can read about the fire and the many tales about the blaze at the Peshtigo Fire Museum. In one story, a man saved a woman he thought was his wife but picked up a stranger in his confusion; he reportedly went crazy. A significant number of people believed the Peshtigo River was the only hope they had but most drowned in the water. A 13-year-old immigrant girl from Germany spoke of how she survived by desperately clinging to the horn of a cow all night.
Alternative Theories
Officially, the cause of the blaze was a combination of several factors; drought, high temperatures, and a cyclonic storm. Add in the fact that the area was laden with wood and you had a powder keg waiting to explode. There is a suggestion that the fire was started in the forest by someone attempting the traditional slash and burn method of clearing land for farming.
A slightly wilder theory is that the impact of Comet Biela caused the multitude of fires in the Great Lakes area. The comet was first spotted in 1772 but has not been seen since 1852 after splitting in two in 1846. It is assumed that the comet disintegrated, but remnants have survived as a meteor shower known as the Andromedids.
The so-called Impact Theory suggests that Biela, or its remnants, collided with the Great Lakes area in 1871. The theory was first espoused in 1883, revived in a 1985 book and explored in a paper to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 2004. Once the evidence was properly analyzed, the theory becomes fanciful or even ridiculous. Scientists point out that meteorites can’t ignite a fire since they are cold when landing.
In reality, there was no need for an external source of ignition because the exceptionally dry land was primed for disaster. Add in a penchant for creating small fires, and it is easy to see how a large fire could have started. The additional and unexpected wind only increased the deadliness of the blaze. Indeed, the fires started by people clearing land in 1871 created so much smoke that the Green Island Light was kept on all day for several weeks before the fire.
The Great Fire of Chicago generated far more media attention as it was a large city and of course, there was the fable about Mrs. O’Leary’s cow that knocked over a lantern and started the fire. As a result, the Peshtigo Fire was forgotten, and even today, it generates far less interest.