northward, glacial sediment was depos-
ited across the Midwest. This sediment
contributed to the creation of produc-
tive soils across the region. Northern
Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of
Michigan have predominantly acidic,
sandy soils; they are classified as spo-
dosols and are a favorite of pine trees.
Falling conifer needles combine with
water to form organic acids that dissolve
iron, aluminum and organic matter in
topsoil. White pine trees grow readily in
this soil, and the tree was a sought-after
commodity that northern Wisconsin
provided in bulk.
People flocked to the Midwest for the
new jobs the lumber industry provided.
In 1870, Peshtigo’s population was about
1,200 people, with an estimated 50 to
100 immigrants arriving by steamer each
week, note authors Denise Gess and Wil-
liam Lutz in their 2002 book, “Firestorm
at Peshtigo.”
It wasn’t just loggers migrating to the
area. Farmers often made their way to
the Northwoods to clear a plot of land
and make their home. Many prospective
farmers headed to a nearby area called
Sugar Bush — a series of settlements that
took their name from the abundance of
sugar maples in the area. Farmers com-
monly set fires to get rid of trees andstumps so they could clear the fields. “Even
the immigrants who came from Belgium,
Norway, Sweden, Germany — they knew
this is how you clear land. They saw fire as
an ally,” Gess said in a 2002 interview with
Minnesota Public Radio (MPR).
In the months leading up to the huge
October blaze, fires burned constantly,
producing so much smoke that residents
suffered from smoke-induced symptoms,
including lethargy, fevers, hacking coughs
and “red eye.”
It was the amalgamation of these
smaller fires that would be the undoing
of Peshtigo.+YIP8LEX+PEQIHXLI+MVI
During the late 1800s, logging and
farming practices created an abundance
of slash — piles of felled trees, branches
and vegetation cleared from pine for-
ests. Pine needles, small branches and
bark covered the ground, creating nat-
ural fuel for any fires. The abundance
of sawmills also meant a profusion of
sawdust, which was spread on streets
and flowerbeds, or used as stuffing for
mattresses. Additionally, lumber mills
and railroads had large quantities of
chemicals, glues and paints on hand to& QET SJ 5IWLXMKS ;MW EW MX PSSOIH MR
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