[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 166 (Friday, September 24, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1020-E1021]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      RECOGNIZING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREAT PESHTIGO FIRE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MIKE GALLAGHER

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 24, 2021

  Mr. GALLAGHER. Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize the 150th 
anniversary of the Great Peshtigo Fire. The deadliest fire in U.S. 
history, the Great Peshtigo Fire claimed nearly 2,000 lives and 
millions of acres of land across Northeast Wisconsin and the Upper 
Peninsula. Today, we not only remember the lives lost in this blaze, 
but celebrate the resilience Wisconsinites showed in rebuilding their 
communities.
  The city of Peshtigo was founded in 1838. Adjacent to the western 
shore of Green Bay, surrounded by dense Wisconsin forest, and bisected 
by the Peshtigo River, Peshtigo became an immediate economic hub for 
logging and shipping. By 1871 it sustained the livelihood of thousands 
of families in Wisconsin and was the tenth most populous city in the 
state.
  October 8, 1871 may be often overlooked in American history, but to 
the citizens of

[[Page E1021]]

Peshtigo and Northeast Wisconsin, it was a defining moment for 
generations. On that fateful night, the village of Peshtigo lost nearly 
half its residents, with many more traveling lumberjacks killed in the 
fire. Estimates believe that roughly 700 Peshtigo residents lost their 
lives as the city was consumed by flames. Hundreds more perished in the 
surrounding communities. Flames descended upon the city of Peshtigo so 
rapidly that it was described by eyewitnesses as a roaring tornado of 
unbearable intensity and heat. The Peshtigo River, which runs directly 
through the city, did little to stop the flames from darting over the 
waters, and survivors, realizing they were trapped, had no other choice 
but to leap into the river. Within hours, nearly the entire city was 
reduced to rubble.
  Though often overshadowed by the Great Chicago Fire which began the 
same night, the Great Peshtigo Fire claimed at least five times the 
lives and over 500 times the acreage. But in the face of this 
unprecedented destruction, the people of Peshtigo and the surrounding 
communities came together to rebuild and restore. Today, Peshtigo is a 
vibrant community with schools, parks, wineries, and museums, all held 
together by the grit and character of the Peshtigo people that has 
defined the city for generations. It is my hope that through this 
proclamation, the Great Peshtigo Fire will receive the proper 
recognition it deserves not only as a somber tragedy and the deadliest 
fire in U.S. history, but as a trial that displayed the tremendous 
resolve of the Wisconsinites who rebuilt the city of Peshtigo to even 
greater heights. Madam Speaker, I urge all Members of this body to join 
me in recognizing the 150th anniversary of the Great Peshtigo Fire of 
1871.

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