Peshtigo, Wisconsin
| Peshtigo | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 Peshtigo
|
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| Coordinates: 45°3′14″N 87°44′46″W / 45.05389°N 87.74611°WCoordinates: 45°3′14″N 87°44′46″W / 45.05389°N 87.74611°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Wisconsin |
| County | Marinette |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.20 sq mi (8.29 km2) |
| • Land | 3.03 sq mi (7.85 km2) |
| • Water | 0.17 sq mi (0.44 km2) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 3,502 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 3,487 |
| • Density | 1,155.8/sq mi (446.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Area code(s) | 715 & 534 |
| Website | ci |
Peshtigo is a city in Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,502 at the 2010 census. The city is located within the Town of Peshtigo. It is part of the Marinette, WI–MI Micropolitan Statistical Area. Peshtigo is most famous as the site of the Peshtigo Fire of 1871, in which more than 1,200 people perished.
Peshtigo took its name from the nearby Peshtigo River. The etymology of Peshtigo is uncertain. Explanations include an Ojibwe word meaning 'river of the wild goose', a Menominee word for 'snapping turtle', a word meaning 'passing through a marsh', or a reference to a local Menominee band known as Pesh-tiko.
On October 8, 1871, a forest fire driven by strong winds totally consumed Peshtigo along with a dozen other villages, killing 1,200 to 2,500 people and charring approximately 1.5 million acres (6,000 km²). This fire, known as the Peshtigo Fire, is the deadliest in American history. Unidentifiable remains of hundreds of residents were buried in a mass grave at the Peshtigo Fire Cemetery. The Peshtigo Fire Museum features several items that survived the fire, plus other artifacts from the area's history.
This fire happened on the same day as the Great Chicago fire, the Holland, Michigan fire, the Port Huron Fire of 1871, and The Great Michigan Fire in Manistee, Michigan.
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