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University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Major American Fires: Peshtigo Fire

This is a guide to resources at the Illinois Fire Service Institute Library and online that discuss major American fires.

General Resources

Peshtigo Fire: Introduction

Harper's Weekly Magazine Drawing Of The Peshtigo Fire

The Peshtigo Fire occurred around the town of Peshtigo in northeastern Wisconsin on October 8, 1871, the same day that the Great Chicago Fire began. Historically, the Peshtigo Fire has been somewhat overshadowed by the Great Chicago Fire, though the Peshtigo Fire covered a much greater area and had many more fatalities. The Peshtigo Fire burned 1,875 square miles and destroyed twelve communities, killing between 1,200 and 2,500 people. The fire is thought to have been caused by small fires used for land-clearing that blew out of control and created a firestorm.

Resources at the IFSI Library

These links take you to the IFSI catalog. To request an item, click "Add to Request Bin." This takes you to a page where you can fill out the online request form and submit to the IFSI library. To request items, you must be an Illinois resident with a library card from an Illinois library.

Online Resources

Videos

This video by KRQE News 13 of Albuquerque, NM discusses the events of the fire.

This is a presentation from the Verona Wisconsin Historical Society on the Peshtigo fire.

IFSI Library Information

Library Hours:

8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Monday - Friday

Special operating hours may be held during events.

IFSI Library Website

 

IFSI Library Staff:

Lian Ruan, Head Librarian: lruan@illinois.edu

Diane Richardson, Reference & User Training Librarian: dlrichar@illinois.edu

David Ehrenhart, Archivist and Metadata Librarian: ehrenha1@illinois.edu

Libguide created by Elizabeth York