Fortunately, St. John Lutheran Church was not affected by a disastrous fire which destroyed nine buildings in the thriving port of East Two Creeks on October 5, 1918. The fire destroyed a blacksmith shop, general store, dance hall and tavern, hotel and other nearby structures.

Like the Wisconsin Leather Company’s tannery at Two Rivers, nothing remains of the Pfister & Vogel tannery at Two Creeks. The tannery burned in 1885 and a devastating fire in 1918 destroyed much of what remained of the once prosperous village of Two Creeks. Today, part of the site of the early tannery settlement is a town park.

Pfister soon held 22 land entries in section 11, 13, and 24 of the township – mostly along Lake Michigan. His holdings represented a total of 1,429.9 acres of land. With a lot of hemlock bark nearby, the business quickly developed, and employees traveled to the bustling village.

“From Two Creeks to Two Rivers, the woods are burning. Heavy rain is our only salvation. All the roads are impassible and the worst is not yet known,” wrote Henry Marshall of Milwaukee on October 5, 1871. Marshall was traveling to Two Rivers and boarded the steamer Sheboygan to escape the fire. The days that followed, October 7 and 8, would bring the Peshtigo Fire and the Great Chicago Fire, destroying communities, livelihoods, and families.