The Peshtigo Fire of 1871

A Captivating Guide to the Deadliest Wildfire in the History of the United States of America That Occurred in Northeastern Wisconsin

By: Captivating History

Narrated by: Jason Zenobia

Length: 3 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's Summary

If you want to discover the history of the Peshtigo Fire of 1871, then pay attention...

It’s likely true that most people picking up this book have never even heard of a place called Peshtigo. This is hardly surprising. This little town on the shores of Lake Michigan is hardly a remarkable place in the modern day. Its residents number less than 4,000, and there’s nothing particularly special about it at first glance.

But one does have to look twice at its motto. “A city rebuilt from the ashes.” Peshtigo may be just another small Wisconsin town today, but 150 years ago, it really was nothing but ashes. This town was one of the hardest hit in the deadliest wildfire event in American history - and no, I’m not talking about the Great Chicago Fire, even though it also occurred on the very same night.

The Great Peshtigo Fire of 1871 claimed four times as many lives as the fire in Chicago, yet this cruel twist of fate has left it almost unheard of, while the (untrue) tale of Catherine O’Leary’s cow continues to echo through the centuries with unabated vigor. 

The story of the Great Peshtigo Fire has not been told nearly often enough, yet it is a story that will captivate every listener. Parts of it seem to border on science fiction: trees exploding in the heat of the fire, a tornado made of flames sweeping through an entire town in a single hour, birds caught up and burned in mid-air. Yet, all of it is true, and so are the stories of the people who witnessed the fire first-hand and survived it. 

So if you want to learn more about the Peshtigo Fire of 1871, scroll up and click the "add to cart" button!

©2020 Captivating History (P)2020 Captivating History

Great story...even with the usual America bashing

Such an important story...I learned a lot, even tho I was already familiar with the story. My only, and usual, objection is that Captivating History once again takes every chance it can to bash America's actions...whether its treatment of Native Americans, foreign policy, or government. I get so tired of it.

Reads like an essay trying to reach the page count

The juxtaposition between irrelevant information in the first chapter and the narrator's distractingly Wild Thornberries accent made this unlistenable. As a Wisconsin native, the mispronounced words were impossible to ignore.

Most annoyingly was the writer's avoidance of any deep explanation of any topic, airing to use flowery transitions into something new rather than scratching beneath the surface of the superficial. It reads like a high school essay written by a student desperate to reach the required page count. I don't need to hear that it isn't known whether a father had time to build a raft or if he just found it when the author immediately follows up by saying he found it specifically under a feather mattress. There are too many lines that have zero purpose other than to fill time.

Good but

This is a decent book about a fascinating story. I think the author did a good job relaying the facts from the limited history. Unfortunately he disregarded the comet theory in a few sentences. I'm undecided on the subject, yet it seems a likely enough theory to merit study. The fact that the convergence of these happens on the same night makes the comet theory easier to believe than mere chance. Of course it's terrifying to think something from the sky could come unannounced. But we must look at all the evidence. Narrator was okay. I give the book a C+

Suitable for Young Teens

I purchased this work because I had a strong interest in learning more about a nearly forgotten major historical event. I was disappointed because the work listens like a junior high...

eyewitness account and scientific comment

the work draws heavily upon the eyewitness account of a very articulate priest. the descriptions by eyewitnesses then are further developed by the scientific explanations of the present day.

Horrible tragedy...

I didn't realize that it was such a short audible when I bought it....should have the listening to the details. That being said, for as short as it was, it packed a punch. The details of this tragedy are so terrible that I'm not sure I could handle listening much more about it.

True strength, bravery, commitment and tenacity

There wasn't anything about this story that I didn't enjoy and learn from.
Wildfire, what is not frightening and fascinating about it?

Great listening

Very informative. I will re-listening again as I found with the other works I learned more after listening to the audible. Keep up the great work.

Captivating to say the least!

As a history nut who is always in a hurry, I found this to be interesting, enlightening and firing without the time-consuming filler. I'm shocked that I had never heard of the tragedy until this work.

Knew nothing about it

This work is an engaging description of the fire. The exploits of several survivors of the fire are described. An explanation of the scientific factors pointing to the disaster provides helpful learning.