Fires of October, 1871

“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.