The Fires of Autumn 1918
Posted by: BruceS
N 46° 57.589 W 092° 27.644
15T E 541028 N 5200839
Historical marker commemorating the great fire in the fall of 1918 in northern Minnesota.
Waymark Code: WM2PVH
Location: Minnesota, United States
Date Posted: 12/03/2007
Views: 96
The Fires of Autumn 1918
The Cloquet - Moose Lake forest fire of October 12-13, 1918, which almost
reached this location, was one of the most destructive forest fires in
Minnesota's recorded history. Like other major fires, this one took place
on cutover land - the stumps and waste that remained after the great pine
forests of northeastern Minnesota were harvested for lumber.
Consisting of fire or six major fires and several smaller ones, the
Cloquet - Moose Lake fire started during a severe drought in the fall of 1918.
It burned 390 square miles. Official reports listed 453 people killed.
Years later in 1929, the State erected a monument in the Riverside Cemetery, in
Moose Lake, commemorating the residents who lost their lives. Lark
portions of Cloquet, then known as "the white pine capitol of the world," burned
completely. Approximately 8,000 inhabitants evacuated ahead of the
oncoming flames. The fire reached the east side of Duluth and burned homes
in several neighborhoods before it stopped.
Massive public and private relief efforts helped survivors get back on
their feet, but efforts in the courts to secure compensation for the damages
were unsuccessful. In 1935, after a long struggle, federal legislation was
approved to pay parts of the victims' claims.
The events of 1918 were etched into the memories of people who lived
through them, and the fire was always a reference point when talking about the
past. Things were described as being ether "before the fire" or "after the
fire."
To lear more, including stories of those who lived through the tragedy,
read "The Fires of Autumn: the Cloquet-Moose Lake Disaster of 1918" by Francis
M. Carroll and Franklin R. Raiter, published by the Minnesota Historical Society
Press in 1990. ~ text of the marker