The setting of small fires was a common way to clear forest land for farming and railroad construction. The whole summer of 1871 was unusually dry, and all the trees and grass were unusually flammable. The high winds that blew in with a cold front on October 8 of that year whipped up many small fires into a single enormous one, which killed between 1,500 and 2,500 people.
That was the same day as the great Chicago fire, and there were also major fires on the same day on the other side of Lake Michigan, that destroyed large parts of towns in Michigan.
The firefighters would pass buckets to each other to extinguish the blaze. ... On October 9, 1871 the infamous "Chicago Fire" killed 300 people, but there was an even more tragic fire that same day that killed 1200 ... What is the Star of Life?
