Peshtigo Fire Cemetery

On the night of October 8, 1871, Peshtigo, a booming town of 1700 people centered around the country’s largest woodenware factory, was wiped out in the greatest forest fire disaster in American history. Loss of life and property in the great fire occurring the same night in Chicago did not match the death toll and destruction visited upon northeastern Wisconsin during those same hours. Every building in the community was lost, and the tornado of fire claimed at least 800 lives in this area. Many of the victims lie here, and the memory of 350 unidentified men, women, and children is preserved in a nearby mass grave.

Peshtigo, Wisconsin · United States