Peshtigo, Wisconsin

The Peshtigo fire was a large forest fire on October 8, 1871, in northeastern Wisconsin, United States, including much of the southern half of the Door Peninsula and adjacent parts of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The largest community in the affected area was Peshtigo, Wisconsin, which had a population of approximately 1,700 residents. The fire burned about 1.2 million acres and is the deadliest wildfire in recorded history, with the number of deaths estimated between 1,500 and 2,500. Although the exact number of deaths is debated, mass graves, both those already exhumed and those still being discovered, in Peshtigo and the surrounding areas show that the death toll of the blaze was most likely greater than the 1889 Johnstown flood death toll of 2,200 people or more.Occurring on the same day as the more famous Great Chicago Fire, the Peshtigo fire has been largely forgotten, even though it killed five times as many people. "Everybody's heard about the Chicago fire, and that got all the publicity at the time," said a volunteer at the Peshtigo Fire Museum, named Ruth Wiltzius, whose great-grandfather perished while trying to escape. "Peshtigo was a backwards lumber town then—who had ever heard of it? Chicago was the big city. Which one was going to get more attention?"Nonetheless, several cities in Michigan, including Holland and Manistee (across Lake Michigan from Peshtigo) and Port Huron (at the southern end of Lake Huron), also had major fires on the same day. These fires, along with many other fires of the 19th century had the same basic causes: small fires coupled with unusually dry weather.

The Peshtigo Fire Museum preserves the heritage of the Peshtigo Fire, which destroyed the city of Peshtigo, Wisconsin and surrounding area on October 8, 1871, killing over 2,000 people. It hosts storytelling, exhibits of artifacts from the fire, displays of the lifestyle at the time of the disaster, and a cemetery to memorialize those who died. The museum is adjacent to the Peshtigo Fire Cemetery, where the charred remains of over 350 people were buried in a mass grave. The cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The memorial at the cemetery was the first official state historical marker authorized by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.

The Peshtigo Fire Cemetery is a cemetery in Peshtigo, Wisconsin. The cemetery is the burial location of the charred remains of victims of the Peshtigo Fire, of October 8, 1871, the deadliest natural fire in the history of the United States. Identified victims were buried in traditional marked graves, and over 300 unidentified victims were buried in a mass grave. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The memorial at the cemetery was the first official state historical marker authorized by the State Historic Society of Wisconsin. The cemetery is located adjacent to the Peshtigo Fire Museum, which is a memorial museum for the fire.

Peshtigo is a town located in Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,006 at the 2020 census. The City of Peshtigo is located within the town. The historic Peshtigo Fire took place here.

WHYB (103.7 FM) is a radio station licensed to Menominee, Michigan and serving the areas of Menominee, neighboring Marinette, Wisconsin, and the immediate border area of Upper Michigan and Northeast Wisconsin. The station is owned by Radio Plus Bay Cities, LLC and broadcasts a classic hits music format.

Bagley Junction is an unincorporated community located in the town of Porterfield, Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States.

Harmony (formerly Harmony Corners) is an unincorporated community located in the town of Grover, Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. Harmony is located 5 miles (8.0 km) northwest of Peshtigo.

WLST (95.1 FM) is an American commercial radio station licensed to Marinette, Wisconsin broadcasting a country music format. 95.1 FM had been an adult contemporary format (as "The Wave", previously known by the monikers "Live 95" and "Easy Rock 95") station until January, 2008 when then-owner Armada Media swapped formats between WLST and WHYB in Menominee, Michigan. WHYB became "The Wave" while the higher powered WLST took on the "Cat Country" name and format. Original call letters were WLOT-FM. WLOT was located at 1300 kHz and later became WCJL before going silent in the late 1980s.

The Ansul Islands, named after the Ansul Company (now part of Tyco International), are two islands in the Menominee River and located in Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. The islands are part of Porterfield, Wisconsin.

The Milwaukee Road Depot in Marinette, Wisconsin was built in 1903 by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (otherwise known as The Milwaukee Road) to replace an earlier depot.

Bay Area Medical Center is a 99-bed general acute care hospital located in Marinette, Wisconsin. Bay Area Medical Center was constructing a new facility in Marinette.

The Riverside Site, also known as 20-ME-1, is an archaeological site located near the Riverside Cemetery in Menominee, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.