Peshtigo: America's Deadliest Fire

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Yet another impersonator trying to scam you. I will never ask you to contact me on Whatsapp.

[@Audion]

Caused by a gender reveal party 🎉?

[@Metalbass10000]

As a lifelong Wisconsin resident I appreciate, and I thank you for re-recording, respectfully, history of what happened when so many lives were lost, so many families were irreparably altered. Within my family history there were two Brothers who decided to move to Peshtigo, just a few months prior, bringing their wives and all 12 children, in hopes of a better futureand better employment in the booming Lumber industry that was there. Not one of them survived.

[@dialaskisel5929]

I wonder if History Guy has an OnlyFans...

[@KJAkk]

Would you do episodes on the Great Michigan Fire of 1881 and the Great Storm of 1913 please.

[@WhitneyDahlin]

I wish the History Guy was related to me! I bet he has the best most interesting stories! He's so cool I love the bowtie as well. Plus he just has so much knowledge Iove it!

[@hankidan]

As a Wisconsinite, fixing this pronunciation makes this video so much better

[@aimeepotts2137]

There's another channel I watch where he mispronounces words all the time, even ones everyone knows how to pronounce correctly. It's caused me to stop watching some episodes. It doesn't take much to find out how to say something correctly these days, and I appreciate The History Guy fixing something he got wrong earlier.

[@MichaelBradley1967]

are they saying pesh-tie-go or pesh-tee-go? Seems like an easy mistake.

[@riverraisin1]

As a Yooper, for a long time I thought it was pronounced Pesh-tee-go. Mainly because in this region of the country most 3 syllable names have the emphasis on the second syllable. Peshtigo is a rare exception.

[@hankidan]

@@riverraisin1 I'm from Beloit originally, but my famithad a place up in crivitz, so we drove past pestigo all the time, and we stopped at the fire museum more than once.

[@MichaelBradley1967]

@@riverraisin1 Origin of Peshtigo, Wisconsin From Pe-shet-i-go, meaning "snapping turtle." Has an Indian name meaning "wild goose river." Another meaning, "rapids."

[@arminaskitty3177]

I always appreciate just how respectful you are of topics like this. No blame, no shaming nor any sensationalism. Just facts in a sober, respectful tone. Thank you for having a conscience, it seems all too rare these days.

[@archlich4489]

Compassionate charisma.

[@erictroxell715]

Well said. I taught history. I always emphasized the "humanity" of life n history...which is sadly lacking in today s world

[@rabbit251]

@@erictroxell715 I am an Education / History major and always think that lots of these stories including the ones The History Guy tells would make great TV shows or movies, because the stories are real. I watch mostly documentaries and historical dramas. All the material is there, the characters, just need to do the research and writing the screenplay. Chicago fire or Peshtigo would both make a great show, such drama and so tragic. Think of the poor souls that were lost in these incidents.

[@rabbit251]

@@greghanson869 The same people who try to bury to story about Wounded Knee. Yeah, good natural history there.

[@outlawbillionairez9780]

This channel deserves to be remembered.

[@jmitchell6094]

So shall it be.

[@BIGBLOCK5022006]

It shall be written. It shall be done.

[@matthewdockter2424]

As a Wisconsin native: I never saw the first one. You're nailing it in this video. I appreciate your rework of this, that gesture is very kind.

[@bcase5328]

I lived in WI. I heard of this fire in my childhood.

[@thepetehill]

I am also a Wisconsin native and I remember studying this in my 4th grade Wisconsin history class a zillion years ago.

[@matthewdockter2424]

@@bcase5328 I remember learning about it in grade school. Never heard of the Chicago Fire until I was a man.

[@DairyAir]

I’m from Green Bay. His first one got me to subscribe. I was rewatching it to hear his pronunciation 🤣

[@livin4thelamb499]

When he said, The Chicago Fire wasn't even the worst fire THAT DAY, my jaw hit the floor.

[@rafanifischer3152]

When you said, "The Chicago fire wasn't even the deadliest..." I thought you were going to say "of Illinois". But "of that day" really shocked me.

[@avega2792]

There was also 3 fires that same day in Michigan collectively known as the Great Michigan fire.

[@ottocb22]

i thought he was going to say east of the mississippi so i was also shocked when he said the same day. it's crazy how i didn't know about this. another good video. keeping their memories alive.

[@timothyconover9805]

That transition is one of the greatest record-scratches on KZbin!

[@Fjfjrbrufb]

Peshtigo Wisconsin here. Thank you for finally fixing this. Yours was always the best documentary on it, but it always bugged me when I would send it to people when they asked what city I was from.

[@nicholasberchert9839]

One of the most amazing things on this day in 1871 is that students at the Forestry College at MSU in Lansing Michigan dropped everything and became some of the first wildland fire fighters. They saved the entire campus and city of Lansing from the Michigan fires

[@michaelverbakel7632]

I read about that. It is ignored today though. On the same day as the great big fires in Chicago and Peshtigo on the west side of Lake Michigan, the heat and intensity of the fires were so great and tremendous in size that many sparks and embers from those fires flew across Lake Michigan and landed in the state of Michigan itself. This caused many fires to erupt and burn across Michigan all over the state. I heard that the death toll in Michigan the next few days was between 200-400 people. Historically though you never ever hear about the great Michigan fires that same day compared to the big fires in Peshtigo or Chicago.

[@dannyjones3840]

Lance, I'm surprised you haven't been approached by book companies to be an narrator for books on tape. Your talking skills truly keep a hold of your audience.

[@cw4608]

His voice is unique. He is articulate and very understandable, never mumbling or omitting word sounds. I fully agree with you.

[@michaelalcocer6778]

Also worth noting that on this same date 146 years later was another destructive fire. October 8th 2017 five northern California counties experienced 250 fires (21 major fires) that consumed 245,000 acres, 8,900 buildings and 44 deaths. The Tubbs fire near Santa Rosa alone destroyed 5,643 structures and 22 lives. It was the single most destructive fire in California's history up to that point. I was on duty that night and the fire still effects many of our families, friends and community. History will always repeat itself and we need to remember these lessons.

[@davidgcastino2388]

We lost our home in the Tubs fire, as I firefighter, I always new it could happen but I never new this history. Nature is unforgiving, when fire comes in this magnitude no matter where you are, get out of the way.

[@davidgcastino2388]

We lost our home in the Tubs fire, as I firefighter, I always new it could happen but I never new this history. Nature is unforgiving, when fire comes in this magnitude no matter where you are, get out of the way.

[@bradleynoneofyourbizz5341]

Like socializing utilities so safety is a priority rather than dividends to shareholders?

[@michaelalcocer6778]

@@bradleynoneofyourbizz5341 can we hold private companies and individuals accountable to ensure safety? Is more government always the answer? Here in Sonoma county we already have Sonoma clean power as our "provider", a government agency. Hasn't done much to change the power delivery model. Tubbs fire was caused by a private line anyways.

[@bradleynoneofyourbizz5341]

@@michaelalcocer6778 Holding a private company accountable *after* they've caused a fire doesn't really do anybody any good, does it? And I'm referring to the fires in CA that were caused directly by PG&E's negligence. But I think you already knew that. Plus, the answer to your question, "Is more government always the answer?" is no. And I didn't say it was. But it might be something to consider when it comes to this one issue.

[@robertwatson39]

Coming from Australia I can sympathise with what those people went through. Our last two summers have been the worst in living memory with regards to bushfires.

[@donaldstanfield8862]

Stay safe! Springfield IL home of Abe Lincoln

[@jayjaynella4539]

That coincides with the lack of backburning due to the greens leaving the forests unmanaged, and allowing oil soaked tree leaves to accumulate to layers of 2 meters.

[@ninjaskeleton6140]

No, they definitely haven’t. Some people have very short memories it seems. For example, the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009, which killed nearly 200 people, were much worse. Australia has had a long history of devastating forest fires that were much worse than anything that has occurred recently, but even in recent times I can recall worse than the summers you mention, and I’m only 38 years old.

[@robertwatson39]

@@ninjaskeleton6140 I could have gone back to Ash Wednesday 1983 ( which I fought in ), but the Americans wouldn't have known about them. So I chose to mention the latest one. I agree Black Saturday was the worst we have ever had with regards to loss of life.

[@allangibson2408]

@@robertwatson39 The 13th January 1939 Black Friday fires in Victoria were the foundational event behind the CFA.

[@stevedietrich8936]

Whether it be a gift or a learned skill, I sure wish I possessed your skill at public speaking. You could make a recital of the telephone book seem interesting.

[@nedludd7622]

For some it may be a gift, but for most it is something practiced and learned. It is not that difficult, though you wouldn't know it by how terrible the talking-heads are on TV nowadays. A suggestion, look up "You Bet Your Life" by Groucho Marx. The guests, mostly ordinary people, speak so very well. Now we are in the "like" generation.

[@privateer177666]

@@nedludd7622 Like, for real man. Far out

[@cdjhyoung]

No shouting. No exaggeration, no dramatic gestures. Just a gentile, fact based delivery every time. And an honest face looking out at us all. Yes, I agree, the history guy could make a recital of the phone book interesting. Isn't it fantastic he chose to share this skill of his with the rest of us?

[@matchrocket1702]

Young people are asking, what's a telephone book?

[@seanbatiz6620]

@@matchrocket1702 Then toss them a mental wrench of mentioning a Thomas Guide MAP! 🤯

[@robertreisner6119]

My dad's mom told me of this fire that her parents and grand parents somehow survived. It was a disaster that made the Chicago Fire look like a campfire. It has been storied by myself to my children and grandchildren. Thank you Lance, your podcasts are valuable.

[@jackieeastom8758]

A man never knows when he gets up in the morning if he’s going to get back to the same spot at bedtime! Life is perilous indeed!

[@tcaldwe]

When the end is closer than the beginning we are more acute to this fact.

[@alphalunamare]

'In one terrible instant' is one of the most powerful and truthful paradigms of humanity.

[@spikespa5208]

And those "terrible instants" still happen. e.g. Paradise, California.

[@jordanreeves6008]

2 black civilization burned down on the same day Chicago the other

[@bionicman6969]

Years back I was fishing the Au Sable river in Michigan and as I smoked then I took a break from wading the river to smoke a cigarette, I carelessly threw down the butt and to my horror a fire immediately exploded next to me. It was my first instinct to throw my entire body onto it and roll around to put it out, and thank God I succeeded for if I didn't it was racing towards thick dry tinder that would have started a major fire. I suffered some pretty bad burns to my face and hands but it was worth it, it taught me an invaluable lesson on being extremely careful with fire in the woods, and I kicked my nasty cigarette habit soon after.

[@jackpinesavage1628]

Ty... I live two miles from the AuSable in Iosco County. Every Spring, I worry about a forest fire. Over by the Monument last summer, a controlled burn got away from the U.S. Forest fire crews because of "an unforeseen wind event." You drive by there now and they've logged-off acres of that burned timber.

[@gregraines1599]

@@jackpinesavage1628 I live in the northern Valley of California and, as I drive a lot for a living, I frequently see logging trucks carrying charred logs. It’s been around 4 months since the Dixie Fire started and it’s only been in the few weeks I’ve been able to see the mountains.

[@kerrysmith1899]

@@jackpinesavage1628 In 10 years there will be a stand of trees there. I spent summers in the 50s in Sid Town. I don't think I would recognize it now. I hope it smells the same.

[@reginaphalange7959]

Wow, now there's a strong argument for smoking cessation - and extreme caution with fire, of course. I really admire the way you responded - honestly I think I would have panicked.

[@curiousworld7912]

Again; a pretty decent book on this is 2002's 'Firestorm at Peshtigo', by D. Gess and W. Lutz. I first read it soon after it was published, and in rereading it a few months ago, felt that it held up well. Some of the photos taken in the aftermath are very eerie, and the book does well in recreating the town and surrounding communities, the people, and the times. God knows, the survivors' stories are horrific. I'm glad 'The History Guy' went back to this, and pronounced the name correctly. It matters. :)

[@eucliduschaumeau8813]

"Firestorm at Peshtigo" has been in my library for several years. It is a truly amazing book, not just because of the description of the fire, but also how they covered daily life during that period. The description of the firestorm was incredibly described and went into great detail about what happened to both the casualties and the survivors. Some of the "scenes" of destruction as written were harrowing and almost unbelievable.

[@curiousworld7912]

@@eucliduschaumeau8813 I agree. I hate to say 'I really enjoyed reading it', because that sounds horribly callous; but it is written with the urgency of a novel where you know what's coming - you just don't yet know all the characters or how truly horrific this is all going to get.

[@eucliduschaumeau8813]

@@curiousworld7912 That is why history fascinates me. It was like reading a tragic novel, but the fact it's all true adds so much to the experience.

[@curiousworld7912]

@@eucliduschaumeau8813 I agree. :)

[@cedricgist7614]

Well, I’d say you’ve gotten KZbin figured out - what, 1.3M subscribers? I know I watched the earlier video some years ago - couldn’t remember the town’s name - but remembered it was a tragedy like the Johnstown Flood. A KZbin Short in my queue moved me to watch the earlier video prior to viewing this updated version. I wish the creator of “The Great War” would re-do his later video on softballer-supreme, Eddie Feigner, to get the pronunciation of the assumed surname corrected. Your revision was well done - you didn’t just go through the motions but you added material and were at least as expressive in your presentation - I think more so. This is in line with your stated aim to share, “history that deserves to be remembered.” Well done!

[@jg2072]

As a former Wisconsin Wildland firefighter I truly appreciate you redoing this video.

[@masterimbecile]

Such a sweet thing for you to do to re-release the video! Sure sign that you're in it for the information the video provides and not just for the views. Mad respect to ya.

[@andychase7693]

The people of Wisconsin, and Peshtigo especially, appreciate your making the effort to remedy your prior mispronunciation. Keep on doing what you're doing! On, Wisconsin!

[@h.nicolejorgensen2077]

Here in August of 2023 after the tragic fire of Maui. May we never forget those who die in such unexpected tragedies. Always tell your family and friends you love them and not take life for granted. I appreciate this gentleman for his interesting and thoughtful videos. Rest in peace to those who have died in these unexpected disasters. ❤🕊️🙏❤

[@santaclaus7455]

If you are a history nerd, this guy is AMAZING! And a pride of our STL metroplex. I remember seeing his first video, the original of this, and it gave me chills. This time around, was no different, except, I guess oddly oxymoronically, better. Way…way…way better. You sir are someone many of us could just simply have a beer with, and nerd out in the history of darts, or beer, or arcade games. Hardwood. Bars. Glass. You get the idea! Maybe I am a fanboy. But that’s because you are simply that damned good! Keep on keeping on, Lance! You’ve got an absolutely, unmatchable, astonishing talent! You make the obscure…relatable. And bring the relatable home to heart. Many can speak to a camera. Behind a camera. But few….very very few…can speak THROUGH the camera. You, sir, are one of those few! Thanks for doing what you do. And if in your day to day you aren’t a history teacher, you damned well should be! 😉

[@jackpinesavage1628]

We still have forest fires in the Northern forests in the Midwest. They don't just occur out West. Last summer, the U.S. Forest service was conducing a controlled burn in my community in Northeastern Michigan. An "unforeseen wind event" caused that controlled burn to become uncontrolled. Homes were evacuated, many acres of forest burned, yet, I support the yearly, Springtime controlled burns. Thirty years ago, the U.S. Forest service didn't do that. I'm glad they do now, even if a sudden winds takes the fire where they don't want it to go. Better to have a forest fire when you're prepared, than to have a forest fire when you're not.

[@raydunakin]

The cessation of controlled burns has contributed greatly to many of the recent, devastating fires in the western states.

[@reginaphalange7959]

@@raydunakin So has urban sprawl on prairies with no fire mitigation. I live just a few miles from where the Marshall fire took place in Colorado four months ago. The affected communities are small, but the population has grown considerably in recent decades, with lots of tract housing going up. To the west is dry grass, dry grass and more dry grass. And anyone who lives here knows how crazy the chinook winds are. It was really just a matter of time. :(

[@raydunakin]

@@reginaphalange7959 We need laws requiring a cleared space between housing and grasslands or brush.

[@reginaphalange7959]

@@raydunakin So true! A lot of people here in Colorado are diligent about fire mitigation, but I think a lot more are careless. Once I saw a small grass fire burning right next to the interstate, I'm sure because some idiot threw a cigarette butt. Another problem we have here is pine beetles, and so-called environmentalists who don't want pesticides used to control them. So instead we have miles and miles of beetle-killed forest just waiting to burn.

[@philgiglio7922]

​@@reginaphalange7959...buddy and I were in his car on a rural Louisiana road and saw a small fire burning in the sere grass roadside. He slammed on the brakes as I was saying stop. We both jumped out and began stomping the fire out. If we had been 5 minutes later no telling how bad it would have gotten. This was a little traveled road. We found a cigarette butt

[@drewh5823]

Thank you so much for this updated video. As a lifelong Wisconsinite who has been to the Peshtigo museum several times, I enjoyed the original video immensely. Your correction takes a good video and makes it amazing.

[@steverennie5787]

A sad report, History Guy, but a very poignant delivery of it. Thanks @The History Guy ... we appreciate the delicate way in which you tell us of so many terrible losses - even if more than 100 years ago. Some news anchors on the mainstream networks could take lessons.

[@Darkkfated]

I live off Highway 41 about 45 minutes south of Peshtigo and I never heard about this fire, nor was it ever mentioned in any of the History/Social Studies class I took back in High School. Amazing how history-altering events like this can "disappear" unless you live literally right where it happened and they put up a plaque or memorial or something (that you may or may not ever stumble across).

[@rhettbickley9097]

Good job. I am an 80 year old forester. Fire fighter and Fire Information and Safety Officer from South Carolina to Pacific Northwest.

[@edwardimhoff3106]

Well Done. Learned this in the 4th grade growing up in Wisconsin. The History Guy deserves to be remembered.

[@DawnOldham]

What a stunning story. It reminded me of growing up during the Cold War and some of us children feared an atomic bomb or some other destruction hitting our school or homes. But instead, the people here were blind sided. Their fate was sealed in a sudden and horrific way that no one had ever worried about. And they lived long enough to experience true horror. Thank you for telling us about Peshtigo. It truly deserves to be remembered.

[@duneman2012]

Duck and cover I remember practicing that in school

[@HM2SGT]

Been a medic and firefighter for over a third of a century. I'm always reminded of that line from Planes Fire and Rescue when she says it happens all the time, you only hear about the big ones. That's the truth. Stan Rogers did a wonderful version of the badger Drive, possibly the only song about the longest drivers on the rivers.

[@Eric_Hutton.1980]

Tragically Stan Rogers died in a fire of a lesser magnitude. The fire that swept Air Canada Flight 797 claimed him and 22 more. May they and the victims of the fires of October 1871 R.I.P. .

[@jeremycox2983]

As a Wildland FF I agree completely with you Billy.

[@KevinT3141]

I'll see your Stan Rogers and raise you Wade Hemsworth. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6HWi41oqJirrJo

[@geoffreytudor5674]

You ever hear "The Jam on Gerry Rocks" ? XLNT lumberman's song, tho' I forgot to look up the artist B4 starting to write 😏😒

[@lizj5740]

@@KevinT3141 I followed the link: what a fun song and cartoon plus the comments are interesting, too. Thank you.

[@mikevandebunt811]

Growing up in Wisconsin (well over a half century ago) we learned about the Peshtigo fire in grade school. For most other areas of the country, and indeed the world, this may well be the first time many have heard of this. Bravo, History Guy, bravo.

[@kidmohair8151]

thank you Mr History Guy, Gal and cats..."far fewer casualties but more witnesses" your respect in granting dignity to the forgotten dead and their history makes them....not forgotten, if only for the ten or fifteen minutes of your memorialization of them

[@aspiceronni4462]

Peshtigo is my hometown. My dad's house is next door to the only structure left standing after the fire. And that is fact. A picture of that building is in the museum.

[@kaptainkaos1202]

Damn, watching a Dr. Felton video and THG video pops up. With great reticence I switched mid video to THG. How lucky am I to subscribe to great history tellers?

[@stevedietrich8936]

They are both excellent. I wish a few more of Dr. Felton's viewers would wander over and join THG.

[@MarkVrem]

I was curious who this Dr. Felton was. Oh! That Felton. Never knew he was a Doctor.

[@stevedietrich8936]

@@MarkVrem He's a PhD in history and has written a crap-ton of books.

[@aimeepotts2137]

I've never heard of this Dr. Felton. Will have to look.

[@quillmaurer6563]

They're both excellent, I wonder if they could ever do a collab?

[@jonteske4267]

Every Wisconsin school child knows of the Peshtigo Fire. Our early Wisconsin Public Radio had a program in the early 1950s called "Wisconsin Tales and Trails." Fires on the same day burned vast areas on NE Wisconsin. The southern limits of related fires extended south to the northern limits of Manitowoc County, where I grew up, about 30 mi SE of Green Bay city. It burned a little settlement on Lake Michigan about a mile east of Two Creeks, WI (not to be confused with Two Rivers, WI as a well known biography of Carl Sandburg once did.) This settlement of a few building was next to a pier extending into Lake Michigan for loading lumber onto sailing vessels. As a child I briefly lived on an estate abutting this settlement when my father was in the Army of Occupation in Japan and my mom and I were invited to stay at the estate. The estate owner, a prominent naval architect, had been summoned to Germany to evaluate post-war shipbuilding facilities. At the time, in the late 1940s/early 1950s the ruins of the settlement was the town dump which the son of the estate owner and I would play among the ruins (mostly the stonework foundations and basements of the destroyed buildings.) Our imaginations build many things with the found objects in the dump. After I grew up and moved away, the county government realized the significance of the ruins, cleared the trash from the dump and made a small county park. As of my childhood the pilings of the dock still remained.

[@browngreen933]

Interesting, thanks!

[@badguy1481]

I enjoyed your first presentation. And no problem pronouncing the name "pesh-TI-go" as opposed to the way the locals call it "PESH-ti-go". Many Wisconsin names come from American Indian names and even Wisconsinites have problems pronouncing them. My comment then, repeated below: Some plaques next to graves in the Peshtigo cemetery: "Terance Kelly, his wife, and four children lived in the Upper Sugar Bush. When the fire came with the terrible wind and smoke, the family became separated. Voices could not be heard above the roar of the fire. Mr. Kelly had a child in his arms, as did Mrs. Kelly. The other two children clung to each other. In search for safety, each group lost track of the others. The next day, Mr. Kelly and a child were found dead nearly a mile from his farm. The mother and another child were safe. The other children, a boy and a girl, five, were found sleeping in each other's arms near the farm. The House, barn, and all the out buildings had burned to the ground." "Mellon: Their nineteen year old brother took these two Mellen children to the river. He walked into the icy water up to his neck with a child on each arm. The fierce heat compelled him to keep on wetting their hair or ducking their heads under water. This continued for nearly four hours until the flames subsided and when the older brother brought the children to shore. It was found that both had died of hypothermia." "Merkatoris: When the church bell sounded the fire alarm, Henry Merkatoris went out to the edge of town with the other men to try to stop the fire. Mrs. Merkatoris waited until the fire came into the city and when Henry failed to return she gathered her five children and crossed the bridge to the east side. They all went into the river and clung to some logs until the fire subsided. In the morning all were fearful that Mr. Merkatoris had perished in the fire, but soon the family spotted Henry coming through the smoke and ashes. He had survived!" "On the night of October 8, 1871, Peshtigo, a booming town of 1700 people, was wiped out of existence in the greatest forest fire disaster in American history. Loss of life and even property in the great fire occurring the same night in Chicago did not match the death toll and destruction visited upon northeastern Wisconsin during the same dreadful hours. The town of Peshtigo was centered around a woodenware factory, the largest in the country. Every building in the community was lost. The tornado of fire claimed at least 800 lives in this area. Many of the victims lie here. The memory of 350 unidentified men, women, and children is preserved in a nearby mass grave." The total death numbers from that fire were never determined. It was guessed that 800 inhabitants of Peshtigo died in the fire....BUT...there were many deaths outside the town. The total death count is now estimated to be over 2,000.

[@eucliduschaumeau8813]

You're right about the death toll. There were a great many people working on the railroad and working in the forests in the lumber trade. There is no telling how many hundreds more perished in the conflagration, because they were seasonal laborers or undocumented workers and tradespeople.

[@dbeaus]

The only true Wisconsinites have no trouble with the pronunciation. That's because the only true Wisconsinites are the Indian tribes from which these names were taken.

[@DarkZodiacZZ]

I believe the original was one of the first THG episodes I ever watched. Thank you for all these informative videos.

[@glenmartin2437]

I fought wild fires in California and Nevada many years ago. Man is puny when dealing with such fires!

[@justme_gb]

I was on fires in Virginia enough times to have enormous respect for West Coast firefighters.

[@arminaskitty3177]

As a Californian thank you for your service. My family lives out in the boonies and we’re always aware of fire danger and how vital your work is. We do our best to make it easier by keeping a wide cleared space around our house with a nice big pad where equipment can be set up if needed. Anything to make your hazardous job safer and easier since it’s way too hard these days as is.

[@brentonharper-murray1752]

This is the best video on the Peshtigo Fire that I've seen. If it is ever mentioned, it's usually as an aside on a video of the Great Chicago Fire. Thank you. Subscribed.

[@stevencooke6451]

I love these videos of events that deserve to be remembered. The History Guy's delivery is so full of respect for the dead and the impact on the community.

[@DW-pf4ib]

My father once mentioned to me that he had a great, great aunt who was killed in that fire. The found her remains lying on a two-track road a few miles from town. I'm glad you reminded me of this event. I'll be sure to pass this along to my other relatives. A bit of history they need to remember.

[@jayshaw63]

Thanks from an early subscriber here in Wisconsin. I cringed at the earlier version. Remembering history is always better with the correct pronunciation. ;-)

[@GabrielJ.Fontenot]

I actually Found a painting of the great Chicago fire stuck behind a WWI print from 1918 in our shed. I live in Louisiana. It had apparently been put there by my great grandfather who had gotten after the death of my great great grandmother, who lived on our property about one hundred years ago. The WWI print hung in my Great great grandfathers dining room and was remembered by my grandmother and seen in pictures, but thought lost until I discovered it only a few feet from our old home. Alas, it was quarantine which brought me to clean and restore the WWI painting and its filthy original frame and glass and when I took out the painting I discovered a beautiful painting of flames to which was labeled the Chicago fire the print was from 1909.

[@eucliduschaumeau8813]

That sounds like the lithograph printed by a major fire insurance company after the fire. If it's the one I'm thinking of, it is quite dramatic.

[@missyd0g2]

My day and I visited Peshtigo Wisconsin. Thompson Boat Company was located there. My dad knew about the fire. He took me to the mass Grave of those that could not be identified from the fire. As an eighteen year old the stories the residents told me are burned in my mind. Thank you for remembering those from Peshtigo.

[@eucliduschaumeau8813]

You should read the book "Firestorm at Peshtigo". If you are interested in a "deep dive" into this subject, it's the best book on the subject by far.

[@billgross3579]

Thanks for doing an updated video on the Peshtigo fire! My dad grew up in Peshtigo, so we have been there a lot. Dad died in May, and he is now buried there.

[@wcolby]

Hi, I’m looking for the comment thread where we blame the media for the Chicago fire getting more coverage….

[@DairyAir]

I loved this story the first time, and I saw KZbin recommend this one, I looked past it, but it gives me a good chuckle when outa state ppl pronounce Wisconsin names. I wanted to hear that pronunciation again, lol. Have fun with oconto, Suamico, ashwaubenon… thanks for this story.

[@jheil6746]

Thank you for sharing this. My grandmother used to tell me about how that same day, just on the other side of Green Bay, sparks from Peshtigo ignited fires on the peninsula and continued to burn its way toward the small town of Robinsonville where folks marched around their small church praying a rosary. Just as the fire reached the fence surrounding the church, it began to rain, sparing the church and the souls fearfully gathered there.

[@eucliduschaumeau8813]

That must have been Door County. Many of the injured survivors ended up going there for medical help.

[@dianemauer4453]

Robinsonville is located in Brown County, WI about 15 miles from Green Bay. It is now known as Champion.

[@poppj2772]

I spent and still spend many hours in those woods. Amazingly there are still burned trunks all around in the less traversed areas from this fire. Thank you for bringing their story back to life.

[@aprylrittenhouse4562]

I used to fish the peshtigo river in my youth. The one sturgeon i got every yr was awesome. Our northern woods here in wisconsin were nearly cleared out by greedy lumber barrons who didnt care.

[@kerriwilson7732]

Or maybe the forests were nearly cleared out to build homes & communities, provide employment, & clear land to grow food?

[@kerriwilson7732]

@@rridderbusch518 very small degree? Without a buyer for lumber there is no payment for logging. The buyers bought to build, not hoard. I'm not dismissing the environmental or social impact, but everyone participated because everyone benefited; not just 'greedy lumber barons'.

[@richardjohnson2965]

I've read the Book "Firestorm at Peshtigo." which gives an amazing detailed account of life, weather patterns, & the storm that created this disaster. What a tragedy. Also the books "The Fires of Autumn" & " Under a Flaming Sky" told the stories of similar fires in Minnesota some years later...both in 1894, & 1918. It took a few of these disasters to wake people up to the real dangers of uncontrolled fire practices. Hopefully we've become a little smarter when it comes to forest management.

[@eucliduschaumeau8813]

"Firestorm at Peshtigo" is the best book on this topic by a long shot.

[@m39fan]

Well done, a fitting Memorial video. As a Firefighter in the Midwest, we often learn about the Peshtigo fire in our certification classes. Thank you for remembering the victims and educating those who were unaware.

[@justme8184]

thank you for this episode....I grew up about a half-hour from Peshtigo and stories and memorials about the fire abound in the area, including burned stumps that were everywhere in the woods on our farm

[@christineparis5607]

I've read 2 or 3 books on these giant firestorms, and they are worth looking up. The most terrifying is the eyewitness accounts of people bursting into flames as they ran from the fires, and the people begging others to run for their lives, only to be stared at with incomprehension...then trying to haul their belongings with them, not realizing that for them, it was already too late. One train engineer just opened up his already burning train to out run the wall of flames burning up the prairie behind him, while the people in the last cars were catching fire and suffocating from lack of oxygen...he actually managed to get a few hundred to safety....

[@dianemauer6185]

This sounds like the Cloquet, Moose Lake and Hinckley, Minnesota fires of 1894 and early 1900's. The only railroad in Peshtigo at the time was a narrow Gauge line that ran 7 miles from Peshtigo village to Peshtigo Harbor to haul trees and such between the two settlements. (Sorry, I will get off my soapbox)

[@christineparis5607]

@@dianemauer6185 You are right! That was the fire caused by over logging and very hot summers, from what I read...I only read the book once because it was so unbelievably heart breaking....so many families died...I can't forget the stories of people running ahead of walls of fire, only to suddenly combust into flames because of the high heat....

[@colemarie9262]

5:40 What an incredible shot, I can only imagine what being on that bridge was like. Forest fires are absolutely insane......fire in general is scary, but the entire world around you going up in flames is just a whole new level of terrifying.

[@elcastorgrande]

The best history channel on youtube.

[@jimtuma7507]

Another great video as usual about history that deserves to be remembered. I'm glad you were able to correct the pronunciation of Peshtigo, but I'm afraid you replaced it with another mistake. At approximately 8:54 in the video you mention that fires in White Rock and Port Huron Michigan occurred across Lake Huron from Peshtigo. Although White Rock and Port Huron are on Lake Huron, Peshtigo is in the opposite direction. White Rock and Port Huron would be more accurately described as across Lake Michigan from Peshtigo. A nitpick, I know, but I hope you will take some solace from the fact I was listening close enough to catch it. As do 1 million others, I greatly enjoy the THG videos.

[@tracythorn2918]

Thank you for taking the time to correct the pronunciation of Peshtigo. Thank you also for getting the pronunciation of our state correct. For some reason, nonnatives often pronounce it "Wes-con-sin". There is no "E" in Wisconsin.

[@jilliemc]

As opposed to Eastconsin? ;)

[@jonteske4267]

@@jilliemc Natives (like me though I moved away after college) say Wiz GON zin. But OTOH, we had a Canadian friend who called my present state Merry Land as two separate words. It's mer i land (with no real stress on any syllable), except for BAL-mer Mur lun the largest city where they barely speak English. Despite having a grad degree from Johns Hopkins I generally avoid the place.

[@jpkalishek4586]

Menominee County has a park at the northern edge of where the fire burned. on US41, north of Menominee/Marinette.

[@jonathanthomas7228]

I've been pronouncing it incorrectly when discussing this with other FF and rescue personnel since your video originally went live. Wild story. Thanks for the update!

[@vladtheimpala5532]

That was history I had never heard about. It’s history that deserves to be remembered. I shed a tear for those people.

[@wpherigo1]

So appropriate! There are really few new, unique things that happen to humanity. But people frequently forget that. Thanks for helping to make sure that history and its lessons, are remembered.

[@Booger414]

Thank you for remembering Peshtigo, this story has fascinated me since I first learned about it, despite having no personal connection to the town or region.

[@grimreaper6557]

Thank you for this episode i had never heard of this fire and i had grown up in michigan most of my life it truely is history to be remembered thank you again for bringing this to us as always a wonderful bit of history to be remembered =)

[@IRgEEK]

I am somewhat ashamed to admit I was not aware of this tragedy until now. Thank you again @TheHistoryGuy for enlightening me through another wonderful lesson.

[@susanwahl6322]

My great-grandparents had a homestead in Oconto County. I had always been told that the fire stopped a mile to a mile and a half from their farm.

[@earllutz2663]

Thank you again, for another lesson in history. Like most people, I have heard of the great Chicago Fire, but until watching your channel, I had not heard of the much more " destructive " Peshtigo Fire. Thank you again, so much.

[@bkuznick]

I'd visited the Peshtigo museum many years ago while traveling from lower Michigan to the Green Bay area. That place is history worth reviewing...Thank You for bringing it forward in history again!

[@billyrodriguez1878]

Absolutely excellent!!! The way you honor the people that perished and the ending you gave is what makes History so great and important!!! History will always remember you and your channel because YOU DESERVE TO BE REMEMBERED!!!

[@docclabo6350]

Many thanks from Wisconsin for updating this THG classic! It is brilliant, as usual.

[@DangerousBobPhotography]

Thank you for retelling this story once again using the local pronunciation of Peshtigo. I formerly owned a cabin North of the Peshtigo and would travel past that area several times a year.

[@chevahaulic]

My great grandmother had stories from her mom about family and friends affected by the great fire .

[@briarus1000]

1st time i've seen your story of peshtigo. well done! i kept remembering when gatlinburg burned a few years back. for an area that usually does not get large forest fires it was shocking to see [and still see] the damage done and the intensity of the fire.

[@garylefevers]

I was so shocked when that happened. My family and I would vacation there every year, it being relatively close to home. It was horrible knowing that people died. Just horrible. Stay safe.

[@aerofan1772]

The Peshtigo fire is well remembered in many firefighting textbooks.

[@patrickroe3260]

As a Wisconsinite, I cannot imagine the terror that people must have felt. This fire, the people it claimed, must be remembered.

[@anonnymousperson]

At the time of writing there are 1.2k likes, 0 dislikes. This is as it should be.

[@rnedlo9909]

I lived in a pine forest with the only way out lined by large pine trees. I loved it there but have to admit in dry years it was disconcerting to feel a little trapped if the big 'IF' happened.

[@nazpasfred3]

Thank you for remembering this event again. I remember that first video. Your willingness to tell the story made me a subscriber. I can say that many of the people of WI remember this event, especially in the papermill cities, past and present. Having visited the museum and the city of Peshtigo, I am forever changed. Thanks again for retelling the story of Peshtigo.

[@neeleyfolk]

Never new, Thank you. RIP good people of Peshtigo.

[@ianwhitehead3086]

I often get a touch affected by the last few sentences of your videos. Thanks for the fine work.

[@gbryant261]

I had read about this fire and visited the cemetery there about 20 years ago. Thanks for publishing this video, it is a story that deserves to be remembered.

[@snacks1755]

You know what's even more interesting than the Great Chicago Fire? The Chicago Raising. Would love an episode on that unknown nugget of my cities history.

[@kingjellybean9795]

Hey there history guy, you should do one on the Avondale mine fire in Pennsylvania back in the 1860's my great great grandfather was one of the over 150 who perished

[@neilrobinson3085]

Gotta respect a man who has the confidence and decency to admit a mistake and fix it.

[@wtfRyantater]

Heavy duty conclusion my history guy

[@arkangel2001]

Great job! I’m am especially knowledgeable about Peshtigo and you did a great job.

[@dilligaf0220]

As an ex-canadian that moved to Wisconsin, and found your original vid...I appreciate this. And Go Pack Go,

[@paulawolff3456]

I am terrified of fire and so i can only imagine what these poor people were feeling: the fear, uncertainty, heat. You delivered it with your own wonderful style and made it so wonderfully interesting.

[@alkberg2140]

I remember using the old video in a unit I taught on wildfires back in 2017 and 2018. I could point out the local fires from the classroom window. A relevant and timely lesson. Thanks for taking the time to clarify the pronuciation!

[@vitaminsea5931]

As a kid growing up in NE Wisconsin, we were taught about this fire in grade school, though I doubt many others outside of the region were. It is almost a source of irritation that our history was upstaged by another fire in Chicago. Thank you for covering this!

[@allendyer5359]

It's a good fix. There are now in Peshtigo more public places "to go" -well done History guy.

[@Shayna11NM]

I love listening to the History Guy. I especially love that you cover events that few people remember. Thank you!

[@melmoon8412]

My aunt is from there and she had mentioned this fire a few times. So happy to share this with her

[@hankmatthews2557]

Thank you for telling this story, our family moved to this area 15 years ago and found people are still deeply moved by this tragic event. Come visit us next October

[@deanfirnatine7814]

I am a Firefighter and former LE and I have been involved in numerous wildland fires including as an investigator, you do not have multiple fires across a region that big all on the same day just because conditions are bad, there has to be an underlying cause such as a widespread lightning storm, organized arson campaign, meteorite fragments even, things across a three state region simply do not combust on the same night nor does the population of a vast region all become careless fire bugs all on the same night, there was some root cause of ignition for these blazes. Please do not use the September 2020 series of devastating deadly fires in Oregon and Washington that destroyed whole towns as an example of "perfect conditions causing fires", the conditions did not CAUSE the fires, those of us here in the NW in the Firefighting Community and rural LE know exactly what caused most of those fires, we have dozens of witnesses.

[@johntabler349]

Sometimes we can do everything right and still have everything go terribly wrong, thanks for reminding and remembering

[@jahyoda]

WOW...I live in Chico California...Right next to what once was Paradise City ....That fire was bad...but not as bad as this Fire you speak of....Thank You for Enlightening Me Today

[@harveyh3696]

It's August 14, 2023 and there is a lot of commentary how climate change had a hand in the destruction of Lahaina, Maui last week. There are so many similarities between the two disasters that are uncanny; dry brush, high wind conditions, wooden buildings, and a body of water that did provide some protection to some people. I live in Hawaii and pray that many of the "missing" will be re-united with their loved ones.