The Great Peshtigo Fire

This account of the calamitous Pestigo Fire of 1871 -- the deadliest in American history -- is now available in a newly designed, expanded edition. Added to the original eye-witness account of Reverend Peter Pernin are new archival photographs of Peshtigo, before and after the fire, and an updated introduction by Stephen J. Pyne that gives readers a fresh perspective on the fire that burned 2400 square miles and killed more than 700 people. Occurring on the same day as the famous Chicago fire, the Peshtigo fire resulted from similar causes: a prolonged drought, a concentration of wooden structures and rubble, and human carelessness. Readers of all ages will learn that from the scorched earth of Peshtigo came decisions about land and forest management that remain a part of Wisconsin and American history today.