100 years ago today, multiple wild fires broke out across the north eastern part of Minnesota.
By night fall, the cities of Cloquet, Moose Lake and Kettle River were destroyed.
Another 35 smaller communities were burned along with thousands of homes and farms.
1,500 square miles burned, 453 died and another 85 were badly burned.
Duluth, the major city at the head of Lake Superior, was spared when the winds finally died down and shifted in the evening.
It had been a particularly bad drought year and fuel was readily available from the careless logging practices and lumber yard policies of the time. Trains were coal fired back then and would throw burning embers into the air as they ran full steam through the woods.
Railroad officials had been warned for weeks that there was going to be a problem, but there was a war on and the government, which had nationalized the railroads, insisted the trains keep their schedule. More
A survivor’s account Here
An excellent documentary on the tragedy Here
Sounds like the intransigent bureaucracy was alive and well back then too. And they’ve been gumming up the works ever since.
We’re here from the government…..
What’s the chance of a repeat performance in the muslim areas only?
Has it been retroactively blamed on global warming?
Under a Burning Sky is a great book. 25 million board feet of dried pine exploding all at once,plasma bubbles floating over head and fire out running a train.
Another great book on fire is The Big Burn.
Here in commiefornia all we hear every year is that “this is the worst fire season EVER!”
Where can I find the book “Under a Burning Sky”? I read it a few years back. It is a great story, well told. I cannot now find it on Amazon.