HOLLAND, Mich. — The Summer of 1871 was unusually dry, creating a heightened fire risk around the Great Lakes. While the Great Chicago Fire is the most well known in history, towns across the Midwest were impacted on the same day in separate fires including many in Michigan.
Among them Manistee, Alpena, Port Huron and Holland.
"They claimed the Midwest was one big powder keg just waiting to happen that season," said Deb Wake, education coordinator at the Holland Museum.
And on October 8th, 1871, that powder keg exploded. In Holland, it's unclear what exactly started the flames, but they really took off when they reached Cappon and Bertsch Leather Company.
"It all ignited," said Wake. "And then these winds, which were hurricane force winds, blew that right down Eighth Street and took out all the businesses."
The blaze nearly wiping the entire city from the map.
"A million dollars worth of damage," said Wake.
But not everything was lost to the fire. The Holland Museum is home to a few items that survived.
"Trying to save their possessions, they actually buried a lot of their goods in the sand," said Wake.
Like an organ and a dresser, which you can see scorch marks in a couple places that you can see today at the Holland Museum.
"They didn't quite get it deep enough, I guess," said Wake.
A few buildings survived as well that still stand today, including Pillar Church on 10th street.
"They say that's because there was a lot of gravel and dirt around where the carriages would pull up to the church that created a firebreak," said Wake.
While the city took significant damage, miraculously only one person was killed in the fire and historians say Holland is fortunate it wasn't worse.
"Luckily it kept heading kind of north easterly and missed those those main buildings," said Wake.
If you want to take a look at those items and learn more about the Holland fire for yourself, the Holland Museum is open Monday, Friday, and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There is also a virtual walking tour on it's website.
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