PESHTIGO FIRE: Child Survivor tells his story

The Peshtigo fire, on October 8, 1871, killed 1500 to 2500 people in northeast Wisconsin, and Michigan’s upper peninsula. In 1945, Charles Bakeman’s account, of trying to outrun the fire in a lumber wagon filled with at least 17 people, was recorded. The Wisconsin Historical Society (Bakeman family papers and oral history, 1946-1993) is graciously allowing me to share his story with you, in his own words and voice. Charles was born in 1860, to John and Louisa Bakeman, immigrants from McKlenburg, Prussia. His household included his parents, John (36), Louisa (32), George (12), Charles (10), Emma (8), John (5), and his grandfather Christopher Bartels (74). The family survived by spending the night in the Menominee River. In 1883 the family moved to Snohomish, Washington. He married Nina Inez Blackman and they had four children. Charles owned a furniture business and a funeral home. He served as Snohomish's mayor, county treasurer, on the school board, and was very active in civic life throughout his career. Charles ran the furniture store personally until one week before his death in 1952, when he died at 91 years old. He was 84 when he sat for this recording.

Text from the plaque located by the Lawrence family headstone:

"There were several strange phenomena that accompanied this fire. One was the large black objects resembling a balloon which revolved with great rapidity, advancing along the periphery of the fire. When these objects struck a tree or a house, they would burst with a loud report and fire would stream out in all directions.

Mr. Lawrence had one of the finest farms in the Lower Sugar Bush and as the fire approached he took his wife and three children into the center of a large field. An eyewitness tells of seeing them huddled together when one of those balloon-like objects landed in their midst, bursting into flames and wiping out the entire family."

Charles Lawrence: 1832-1871
Mary Westphal Lawrence: 1834-1871
Caroline Lawrence: 1860-1971
Charles Lawrence: 1866-1871
John Lawrence: 1869-1871

Uncle Henry and Aunt Dora's household
Henry Bartels (Louisa Bakeman's brother): 44
Dora Bartels: 34
Eliza: 15 (the video says 20, because I thought the 4 in the 1870 census was a 9, because of the handwriting. Looking again I'm pretty sure it is a 4.)
Frederick: 13
Henry: 12
Charles: 10
Louisa: 9
Sophia: 8
John: 3

The Bakeman and the Bartels are the only two complete families from Peshtigo, Wisconsin, to survive.

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[marilynwalrich]

My Grandfather survived the Peshtigo fire as a young boy. His family drove a wagon with a team of horses into the river. They wet the horse blankets and kept them over their heads which help them survive.

[malcolmmeer]

Was at Peshtigo two weekends ago, first part of September. Visited the fire museum showed one of the lady's The History Guy presentation of the fire

[craigcampbell]

Thank you for sharing this story. It's the only place that I have heard this recording

[dianemauer]

Thank you for using the larger estimate of deceased souls. It's been a long time fascination of mine . Too bad Mrs. O'Leary's cow had a better press agent to report the blow by blow account of the fire