Historical Literacy Guide:

Geography

PESHTIGO FIRE: BEFORE AND AFTER

Table of Contents

Introduction

ObjectLiteracy...............................................................................................3

ThinkingLikeaHistorian................................................................................4

BackgroundInformation............................................................................................5

ImagesfortheClassroom..........................................................................................6

StudentActivity.....................................................................................................11

Teacher-ledStudentInquiryandAnalysisQuestions..................................................12

BibliographyandAdditionalResources.....................................................................13

Reflection..............................................................................................................14

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Object Literacy: Learning from ObjectsTheWisconsinHistoricalMuseum,aspartoftheWisconsinHistoricalSociety,has

developedthefollowingguidetoassistintheteachingofstandardsforsocialstudies.

Byfocusingonobjects,artifacts,maps,photographsandotherprimarysourcesfromits

collection,studentswillbeabletoredefinehowtheylearnfromobjectsandfromhistory.

Object-based learning is

•Usingavarietyofobjectsascentraltothedevelopmentoflessonconcepts

•Utilizingobjectsthroughposingandinvestigatingquestions

•Utilizingwell-thought-outinitialquestionstostimulatefurthercriticalthinking

•Usingstudents’naturalinterestandinclinationforquestion-posingtoguide

instructioninallsubjects

•Leadingstudentstotheirownanswersbyrespondingtoopenendedquestions

and/orreturningthestudents’focustotheobject

•Student-directedlearningfollowingpathscreatedbythestudents

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4

TLH CATEGORIES

CAUSE AND EFFECT

CHANGE AND CONTINUITY

TURNING POINTS

USING THE PAST

THROUGH THEIR EYES

Thinking Like a Historian: Rethinking History Instruction

and Common Core State Standards Initiative

Thinking Like a Historian: Rethinking History InstructionbyNikkiMandellandBobbie

Maloneisateachingandlearningframeworkthatexplainstheessentialelementsof

historyandprovides“how-to”examplesforbuildinghistoricalliteracyinclassroomsat

allgradelevels.Withpracticalexamples,engagingandeffectivelessonsandclassroom

activitiesthattietoessentialquestions,Thinking Like a Historianprovidesaframework

toenhanceandimproveteachingandlearninghistory.

Thinking Like a Historian: Rethinking History Instruction

(TLH) inquiry-based educational theoryprovidesacommon

languageforeducatorsandstudents.Thetheoryallowsfor

theeducationalprocesstobecombinedwithcategoriesof

inquirywhichpromotehistoricalliteracy.

ItistheintentoftheWisconsinHistoricalMuseumthat

thisguideserveseducatorsandstudentsinproviding

object-basedlessonstobeusedaftervisitingand

experiencingthemuseumonafieldtrip.Ourfieldtrips

supportCommon Core English Language Arts Standards

forReading:InformationalTextandSpeaking&Listening

standardsaswellasCCSSforEnglishLanguageArts&

LiteracyinHistory/SocialStudies.

Educatorsshouldusethisguideasapost-museum

visitactivity.Itwillcontinuetochallengestudentsto

“ThinkLikeaHistorian”byencouragingthemtothink

critically,makepersonalconnectionswithhistory,andto

evaluateinformationbyasking“why”,“how”,andmost

importantly,“Howdoyouknow?”

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Background Information

OnthenightofOctober8th,1871,thePestigoFiredestroyedaswathofforest10miles

wideand40mileslongintwohours.Itremainsthedeadliestrecordedforestfirein

Americanhistory.

LongovershadowedbytheGreatChicagoFire(andthecolorfulstoryofMrs.O’Leary’s

cowtippingoverthelantern)thatoccurredthesamedayin1871,thefireinPeshtigo

consumedmorethanamillionacresoflandandclaimedmorethan1,200lives.

Althoughthefireburned17towns,thedamageinPeshtigowastheworst,killingmore

than800peopleanddestroyingmostofthetown.

ThenightofOctober8thseemedlikeanyothertoresidentsofthearea.Alongsummer

droughthadprovidedsomebenefittosettlersandloggerswhotooktheopportunity

toclearmoreland.Lumberingpracticesofthetimecreatedlargepilesofsawdust

andwasteintheforeststhatloggersandsettlersremovedbysettingsmallfires.

Unfortunately,thefiresthisnightprovedfardifferentashotblastsofwindfromastorm

thepreviouseveninglaidthefoundationfortheinfernothatresulted.

Oftendescribedasa“tornadooffire,”thePeshtigoFireconsumedallavailableoxygen,

creatinginternalwindsofmorethan80milesperhourthatrippedtheroofsoffhouses,

knockeddownbarns,anduprootedtrees.Thespeedoftheflamesleftmanypeople

surroundedwithnomeansofescape.Aconsiderableportionofthesurvivorshuddledin

alow,marshypieceofgroundontheeastsideoftheriver.Thenumberofdeadinthe

blazeinthetownofPeshtigohasbeenvariouslyestimatedatfrom500to800.

Inall,thefireburnedmorethan280,000acresinOconto,Marinette,Shawano,Brown,

Kewaunee,Door,ManitowocandOutagamiecounties.Thehumantollwas1,152known

deadandanother350believeddead.Another1,500wereseriouslyinjuredandatleast

3,000lefthomeless.Thepropertylosswasestimatedconservativelyat$5millionand

thisdidnotinclude2millionvaluabletreesandsaplingsandscoresofanimals.

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Images for the Classroom

Bird’s-eye Map of Peshtigo, 1871 (WHi Image ID: 2209).

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Images for the Classroom

Bird’s-eye Map of Peshtigo, 1881 (WHi Image ID: 22656).

8

Images for the Classroom

Aftermath of Peshtigo Fire (WHi Image ID: 1859). Aftermath of Peshtigo fire on October 8, 1871. Devastated landscape with deer carcass in foreground. The Peshtigo fire razed the small town of approximately 2000 people. More than 1,200 people perished in the conflagration that consumed more than 1.25 million acres of forest in what was, at the time, a booming lumber town.

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Images for the Classroom

Daily Democrat: Peshtigo Fire (WHi Image ID: 2824) A portion of a page from the MadisonDailyDemocrat which gives an account of the Peshtigo fire.

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Images for the Classroom

Map of Peshtigo Fire (WHi Image ID: 6783). Map of the district of the Peshtigo fire, approximately 1,280,000 acres, in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.

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Student Activity

Askstudentstotellwhattheyknowaboutthefireandhavethemreviewtheaccount

ofthePeshtigoFirefromtheOctober8th,1871articleintheDaily Democrat.Divide

studentsintogroupsoffourandpassoutorshareonaprojectionscreentheother

images.Givestudentsplentyoftimetoconsidertheimagesandthediscussion

questions.

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Teacher-led Student Inquiry and Analysis Questions1. LookatthephotosandmapsofPeshtigo.Describehowthose

andtheheadlinefromtheDaily Democrat fromhelpyou

understandtheimmediateimpactofthefireonthecitizensof

Peshtigo.

2. Locateapresent-daymapofPeshtigo,atanonlinesite

(GoogleEarth).DoesPeshtigolookthesameasitdidin

1871?1881?Whatphysicalfeaturesdoesthecitystillretain

fromtherebuildingperiodafterthefire?

3. Inwhatwaywasthefirealikelyturningpointinthis

community?Beyondthiscommunity?

4. Fromlookingatthebirds-eyemapofPeshtigo,describe

thecommunityasitexistedinSeptember1871beforethe

GreatFire.Besuretonameprominentbuildingsandgiveas

accurateaphysicaldescriptionasyoucan.Whatquestionsdo

youhaveaboutthecommunity?Listthoseseparately.

5. Iftimeallows,havestudentsparticipateinasharedreading

ofThe Great Peshtigo Fire: An Eyewitness Account, Second

Edition.HowwastheexperienceofthePeshtigoFire

rememberedbyReverendPeterPernin?

Bibliography and Additional Resources

ImagesandobjectssharedinthisdocumentcanbefoundonthefollowingWisconsin

HistoricalSocietywebpages:

Wisconsin Historical Imageswww.wisconsinhistory.org/whi/

Curators’ Favoriteswww.wisconsinhistory.org/museum/artifacts/

Additionalinformationcanbefoundat:

The Great Peshtigo Fire: An Eyewitness Account, Second Edition

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01.25.11

TheWisconsinHistoricalMuseumisinterestedinhearingmemoriesoffavoriteexperiencesorexhibits.Havestudentsusethenextpagetoillustrateanddescribewhattheyenjoyedmost.Pleasereturnto:

Museum Education

Wisconsin Historical Museum

30 N Carroll Street

Madison, WI 53703

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Reflection

Pleaseillustrateyourfavoriteexhibitinthespacebelow.

Pleasedescribewhyyouenjoyedthisexhibitthemost.

Name

Date

Teacher