“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.

The October 27 Manitowoc Herald Times reported picket activity: “Militant pickets formed a cordon around all highways leading into the city [of Manitowoc], stopping all incoming and outgoing trucks and cars. They effectively blocked all milk and dairy supplies from moving.”

Invention is the lifeblood of successful entrepreneurs. It breeds new ideas and changes the way our world works. As our communities moved into the mid-1900s, pioneer ingenuity often led to industrialization. While local entrepreneurs such as William Rahr, J.E. Hamilton, and Henry Stolze are commonly looked upon as industry leaders in our community, many more individuals brought their own creations into practice, including a young Reedsville entrepreneur, Dr. A.H. Junge.

Days after the incident, the paper quoted Vits as saying "The damage to the building is a matter of no moment in view of the terrible toll of the tragedy. The building can be replaced, the lives lost, never..."