Door County, Wisconsin - Chapter 46: The Great Fire of 1871, 1917

Chapter 46: The Great Fire of 1871

There is one event in the history of Door County which in the memory of the people of the southern half of the county stands forth like the recollection of a horrible, indescribable nightmare. This is the great fire of Sunday, October 8, 1871, when in the darkness of the night a great torrent of fire descended upon them like the crash of judgment day, which burnt their farms to barrenness and destroyed their homes, forests and lives of their friends and relatives. In describing such a cataclysm of nature, the pen of a later historian is utterly unable to picture the tragic event. To set forth in orderly narraitve the bitter terror and suffering of those night hours is as futile as it is to paint a sunset - only those who went through and survived that night of hell can have or give any conception of its horrors.

The year 1871 is unique in our annals for the havoc that was wrought both on sea and land. On the lakes mighty storms raged at intervals and hundreds of lives were swallowed up by the mighty waves. In Death's Door passage almost a hundred vessels were dashed on the rocks and around the lakes hundreds of other stout ships were tossed ashore or sunk. On land forest fires raged throughout the fall, leveling cities, burning up scores of little settlements in Northern Wisconsin and Michigan and destroying thousands of lives. At Peshtigo more than four hundred men, women and children were burned to death within an hour. Most of these terrible events passed almost unnoticed because they were overshadowed by the greater tragedy of the destruction of Chicago which took place on October 9th.

The summer of 1871 was excessively dry. Cultivated lands became parched and cracked and the swamps dried up. By the middle of September people became very alarmed. Forest fires were raging in many different parts all over the county which could not be put out. The swamps were on fire. Corduroy roads were burning and fences were reduced to ashes. Several mills and many homesteads were from time to time destroyed. No rain came but the fire serpent kept crawling underground, frequently blazing forth, destroying timber which had stood for centuries, The atmosphere all over the county was oppressive to inhale. At night the sight was disheartening. The whole heavens around the horizon were aglow, and the dark red, as seen through the smoky atmosphere, seemed to threaten a greater calamity soon to take place. The days dragged by and the settlers fought the fire as best they could. Each day the people sighed and prayed for rain but each day's cloudless skies and restless winds only added its share to the unceasing drouth.

Sunday (or "Sadday," as it was afterward termed), October 8th, the morning dawned with no perceptible change. In the afternoon the wind was quite fresh but died down in the evening and an unnatural stillness followed. In a few minutes there came a fierce gust of wind, followed by a loud roaring. In the southwest dense clouds were noticeable. Then a flame shot up quickly followed by many leaping tongues of fire. Soon these flames were almost obliterated however by huge columns of smoke which now and then split apart showing a furnace of fire behind. The terrific roaring of the wind together with the crash of falling trees caused the stoutest hearts to flutter. The night was made more hideous by the startling cries of birds, flying frantically in every direction. Wild animals came bursting into the clearings, with whimpering voices seeking shelter among the bellowing cattle, People heard, saw and felt the terror of the lawless elements that had engulfed them, screamed with terror and fled in confusion along the highways and into their fields. Then suddenly a whirlwind of flame, in great clouds, from above the tops of the trees, fell upon them enveloping everything. It was an atmosphere of fire. People inhaled it and fell down dead. Almost all, both the victims and the survivors, had but ope thought - "it is the destruction of the world!"

This tornado of fire swept up from Brown County, overrunning the towns of Union, Brussels, Forestville, Gardner, Nasewaupee, Clay Banks and Sturgeon Bay. In Gardner and Nasewaupee a number of big swamps with a thick growth of timber had previously, in September, burned out, leaving large areas where this greater forest fire found but little to feed on. Because of this earlier destruction the fire was hindered and the Village of Sturgeon Bay and the northern towns were saved. The next day, October 9th, the long looked for rain finally came, drenching everything for hours and the fire ceased.

The people of Sturgeon Bay had watched with great terror this approaching storm of fire and knew that down there in the smoke wrapped forest country of Brussels and Gardner a terrible calamity had taken place. On Monday supplies and provisions were collected and a relief expedition started out to give aid. The following account is from a member of the party telling what they found:

"We started for the tornado district with a mule team well loaded with supplies for the destitute ones. The road was filled with burnt and burning trees and at about 4 o'clock in the afternoon a distance of only four miles had been made toward Williamsonville. It was evident that to get the tegm to Williamsonville (six miles distant) would consume the time of at least another day; hence a portion of the crowd loaded themselves with what they could carry, and set out on foot, while the team retraced its steps. The journey was dreadful! The odor of wild birds and animals, together with that of hogs, cattle and horses that had been roasted alive, mingled with the dense smoke of burning timber, was almost stifling, Some portions of the road were blocked with trees nine deep - burning and smouldering, making the journey both slow and difficult.

"Williamsonville was finally reached - the sight was the most horrible imaginable! Dead bodies were strewn in all directions, and most all burned beyond recognition. Something like thirty-five lay in one heap! Some had one or both Jegs burned off; another was minus an arm while still another had the head or other parts burned to a crisp - men, women and children composing the pile. The fleshy portion that remained uncharred was cooked through and when moved would fall to pieces! Added to the most affecting sight was the almost unbearable odor that arose from the burned bodies that had been moistened by the drenching rain!

Nearly ten years have elapsed since that terrible sight, yet it is as fresh in memory today as the date it was witnessed - the great black trees stand out now as visionary mourning statues as they stood in reality October 11, 1871." 1

Williamsonville was a little settlement established by the Williamson brothers in the dense forest a few miles south of Little Sturgeon - the manufacture of shingles being the main pillar upon which rested the foundation for forming the settlement. A mill, store, boarding house, large barn, blacksmith shop, eight dwelling houses, and minor buildings made up the settlement - all of which were reduced to ashes. About eighty persons were in the settlement at the time of the fire and all perished except seventeen. Of the eleven members of the Williamson family but two escaped - Thomas Williamson and his mother. The village lay in a small clearing of six or seven acres. For a week or two they had been fighting the flames, setting back-fires, and began to feel quite safe. In the evening of the fateful day a violent windstorm came up leveling trees in all directions. This was followed by a sheet of fire that rolled over the treetops. Then came a shower of sparks, large and thick as rain drops. In a moment the buildings were all on fire and a rush was made for a vacant part of the clearing used as a potato patch. Here thirty-five persons huddled together, several hundred feet from the woods, hoping here to be safe from the fire. However, not one of them escaped. Ten feet from them sat old Mrs. Williamson with a wet blanket over her and she was saved. A woman partly covered by the same blanket was roasted to death, Thomas Williamson saved himself by wrapping himself in a wet blanket and rooting face downward into an old ash-bed. Seven men jumped into a well but two of these were burned to death. Two men suffered such intense agony from their burns that they dashed out their brains by pounding their heads against a stump. Besides the three-score human begins who were cremated in this spot, there were also burned to death 16 out of the 17 horses, 5 out of the 6 oxen and 40 swine.?

While Williamsonville lost more lives than any other settlement in Door County because of its comparatively large population, the awful scenes that were here enacted were repeated in scores of other places. "Throughout almost the entire southern half of the-county the fire raged like a hurricane and almost everywhere the humble but superstitious people believed that judgment day had come. Certainly no judgment day could come more swiftly, more unmercifully, more terribly. The ominous warning sound coming from the distance when the sky, so dark just before, burst into great clouds of fire, the beasts of the forest running for succor into the midst of the settlements, and the great, consuming, roaring hell of fire engulfing all was an experience never encountered by man or beast. The dreadful scene lacked

2A few miles west of Williamson's mill was a new shingle mill just erected by Seofield & Co. Fourteen men were here at work installing the machinery. When the avalanche of fire swept down upon them the fourteen men made a dash for a point where a small flume had been built in a ereek.' The water-course had been dry for some time owing to the long continued drouth but there was a little water and mud left in a hollow. Ten of the men were struek down by the fire at the top of their speed and were all burned to death. Four of the men reached the mudhole and threw themselves face downward in the puddle. Even here two of the men were scorched to death.

nothing but the sounding of the last trumpet - and, indeed, the approach of the awful roaring and the premonitions from the distance supplied even that to the appalled imagination of the people.

Below is given a list from the Door County Advocate of October 26, 1871, of the loss of life and property in Door County on the night of October 8th:

At Scofield & Co'S Mill

Caspar Lorch, house and contents, barn, crops, horses and farming tools. Casper Lorch, house and contents, barn, crops, horses and farming tools, Peter Lorch, house and contents, barn, crops, cattle and farming tools. P. Delmbach, house and contents, barn, crops, cattle and farming tools. Peter Leonhardt, house and contents, barns, crops and farming tools.

Union

Francis Counard, house and contents, barn, crops and farming tools. Caspard Duvy, house and contents, barn, crops and farming tools. Gullaine Lenais, household goods, barn, crops and farming tools.

Charles Gulette, house and contents, barn, crops, farming tools and cattle. Jean Dejean, house and contents, barn, crops and farming tools and part of cattle.

Brussels

Louis Coisman, house and contents, barn, crops, farming tools and part of cattle. Theodore Labotte, house and contents, barn, crops, farming tools and cattle. Louis Caspart, barn and erops.

Adrian Franeois, house and eontents, barn, erops, farming tools and cattle. Joseph Francois, house and contents, barn, crops, farming tools and cattle. Peter Francois, two barns, crops and farming tools.

J. B. Englebret, house and contents, barn, crops, farming tools and cattle. Joseph Englebret, house and contents, barn, crops, farming tools and cattle. Desire Englebret, house and contents, part of erops and farming tools.

J. F. Flemal, house and contents, barn, crops, farming tools and cattle. Charles Mignon, house and contents, barn, erops, farming tools and cattle. N. Mignon, house and contents, barn, crops, farming utensils and cattle. Antoine Mohemont, barn, erops, farming tools and cattle.

Clement Bassine, house and contents, barn, crops, farming tools and cattle. J. B. Denamur, house and contents, barn, crops, farming tools and cattle. Unknown, house and contents, barn, erops, farming tools and cattle.

Constant Flemal, house and contents, barn, erops, farming tools and cattle. Leonard Leclou, house and contents, barn, crops, farming tools and cattle. Eugene Delforge, house and contents, barn, erops, farming tools and cattle. Franeis Martin, house and contents, barn, erops and farming tools.

Louis Mignon, house and contents, barn, erops, farming tools and cattle. Peopold Lefebvre, house and contents, barn, erops, farming tools and cattle. John B. Staubaus, house and contents, barn, crops, farming tools and cattle. P. J. Rinier, house and contents, barn, erops, farming tools and cattle. Fillician Mareaux, house and contents, barn, crops and farming tools.

Alex. Pierre, house and contents, barn, erops, farming tools and cattle. Prosper Naze, house and contents, blacksmith tools, barn, crops and farming tools. John Fauville, house and contents, barn, erops, farming tools and cattle. Isidore Tremble, house and contents, barn, erops and farming tools.

Pascal Francois, house and contents, barn, erops, farming tools and cattle. J. G. Gilson, house and eontents, barn, crops, farming tools and cattle. Antoine Verlee, house and contents, barn, crops and farming tools. Francis Springlier, house and contents, barn, crops, farming tools and cattle. Eloi Meunier, house and contents, barn, crops and farming tools.

Clay Banks

W. H. Horn, store and contents, saloon, boarding house and barn and contents. John Polinsky, elothing and bedding. Peter Stephane, clothing. Wenzel Setwosky, clothing. Ed. Lawton, elothing. A. Blasier, elothing. Levi Blasier, clothing. William Busky, clothing. B. F. Murphy, clothing and bedding. Burmeister, elothing and bedding. Burmeister, elothing and bedding. Anton Stern, clothing and bedding. John Hunt, clothing and bedding. W. Heimbecher, clothing, provisions and shoemaker tools. A. Streich, clothing, bedding and provisions. James Fronsoe, clothing, bedding and provisions. Aug. Nemeyer, clothing, bedding and provisions. F. Lutman, clothing.

The list gives 128 persons burned to death, and fourteen severely burned. Many others in the different settlements were burned of which record has been lost.

One hundred and sixty-seven families and single persons were rendered homeless, in most cases losing clothing, houses, barns, crops, furniture, farming tools and everything they had but the bare land and the clothes on their backs. In addition to these, nine families in Brussels and the families at Williamson's mill also lost everything and their lives. A small proportion, probably a tenth, were partially burned.

About two hundred other farms suffered the destruction of their fences, timber and in some cases parts of their crops burned over while in the ground.

Two mills, 2 boarding houses, 3 churches, 6 schoolhouses, 3 stores, 2 saloons, 148 dwelling houses and an equal number of barns were swept away.