On September 12, the town of Ontonagon, its sawmill and lumberyard, were wiped out. For weeks fires had been burning unchecked in the swamps along the west side of the river.  When the fire threatened to encroach on the Diamond Match Company's fences and boom, men were sent to fight it.  On the 12th, however, brisk southwest winds continually refreshed.  The Company sent men with hose to check on the fire.  Reports came back that the fire wasn't serious.

By noon the wind was blowing a gale from the south. Sparks from the fires in the swamp set fire to the sawmill and soon the lumberyard was ablaze. From there it spread to the town which was largely consumed.  Fortunately, only one life would be lost.*

NOTED DAMAGE

A total of 344 buildings burned, including a bank, the courthouse and jail, 4 churches, 3 hotels, a dozen stores, 13 saloons, 2 newspapers, 3 school houses, 2 iron bridges.  Some of the noted damage is listed in the table below...

Hundreds of residences took refuge in outlying farms while others took the train to Rockland, 12 miles away.  Many others slept out in the village's surrounding fields with blankets while those who couldn't sleep spent the night walking.

Though many animals perished, just one human life was lost.  Mrs. Pirk was an aged German lady who had been living in the lake shore portion of town with her daughter, Mrs. Geist (who was severely burned about the face in her endeavor to get her mother away from the home).  On Thursday, the 27th, Mrs. Pirk's charred remains were found about a block from her home.  Only a small fragment of clothing still attached to the body identified Mrs. Pirk.  She was later interred in Evergreen Cemetery.

About 100 buildings still remained within the village limits.  The Lake Superior House and the village power house containing the water works and electric light plant survived.  At the other end of town the residences of Ed McMullan, merchant John Hawley, conductor Allen, and an additional eight others also continued to stand.  On the Rockland road about 70 houses remained, among them C. E. Haring's grocery store.

On the night of Tuesday, August 26th, a mass meeting was held in front of Haring's store in South Ontonagon and the following relief committee was elected:

A meeting of the committee was held that evening and the following officers were elected:  W. F. Sawyer, chairman; John Hawley, treasurer; and R. A. Parker, secretary.

Following the fire, about 400 people left town.  According to a census taken by J. J. Vincent that week, the village still contained a population of 1825, just 490 of them being men.

On Tuesday a detachment of 30 state militia belonging to Company D of Calumet and Company F from Houghton, under command of Lieutenant R. H. Fliege, of Calumet, arrived with tents and camp equipment.  Much of it replaced those which were borrowed from Wisconsin.

One hundred and fifty tents were erected on the Fair ground, and White City as it was called, held a population of several hundred people.  Of great concern would become the weather and coming winter.

Mrs. J. K. Paul, relict of the founder of the town and a woman nearly 80 years of age had a very narrow escape. 

For several days Mrs. Julia Herbert of the Lake Superior House, which was left standing, fed 250 people every meal furnishing them food out of her own supplies.

More history of the fire can be found in the following newspaper transcriptions. 

NEWSPAPER CLIPPING TRANSCRIPTIONS

*Source: Botti, Bill, "A Description of Some of Michigan's Worst Wildfires, " Michigan Forests Magazine, Spring 2003.