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    Hinckley and the Fire of 1894
    Hinckley and the Fire of 1894
    Hinckley and the Fire of 1894
    Ebook192 pages32 minutes

    Hinckley and the Fire of 1894

    By Alaina Wolter Lyseth and Walt Tomascak

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    Imagine a force in nature more powerful than multiple atomic bombs that was the Great Hinckley Fire of September 1, 1894. In only four hours, the fire incinerated over 400 square miles of forest, killed at least 418 settlers and an unknown number of forest-dwelling Native Americans, and destroyed six towns in a firestorm of flame. The elements that led to this unprecedented catastrophe included careless logging practices, a drought, freakish weather, and suspected sparks from passing locomotives. The story of the 1894 fire is a saga of devastation, heartbreak, heroism, survival, hope, and rebuilding that captured worldwide attention. Recently discovered photographs provide a backdrop for a fresh look at the events surrounding the disaster and the courage of the pioneers who survived to tell the tale.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateDec 1, 2014
    ISBN9781439648650
    Hinckley and the Fire of 1894
    Author

    Alaina Wolter Lyseth

    Alaina Wolter Lyseth has roots in Pine County that date to when her Swedish ancestors immigrated here in 1906. Lyseth became a permanent resident of Hinckley in 1985, and when her 13-year-old son needed information for a genealogy project, she started digging for answers and has not stopped. She has lived in many places, but Hinckley and its history have always been touchstones for her. She is a member of the Pine County Genealogical Society and the Pine County Historical Society and also volunteers at the Hinckley Fire Museum.

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      Book preview

      Hinckley and the Fire of 1894 - Alaina Wolter Lyseth

      Museum.

      INTRODUCTION

      As a wall of flame erupted on the south side of Hinckley, Minnesota, panicked residents ran through the street shouting, Run for your life! Another screamed, The depot’s on fire! Inside the St. Paul and Duluth station, 25-year-old telegrapher Tommy Dunn tapped out his final dots and dashes, I think I have stayed too long, then ran for his life.

      On September 1, 1894, residents of the bustling lumber town woke to the blast of the early morning steam whistle, which signaled the start of the first shift at the Brennan Lumber Mill. Shopkeepers opened their doors for early bird Saturday customers. The sunlight filtered through a red, smoky, eye-burning haze that came from the many small fires plaguing the area.

      Conditions in east central Minnesota were ripe for a major fire. Much of Pine County was littered in tinder-dry pine slash from years of logging. Newspaper accounts of the time reported many small fires burning in the area. Makeshift fire crews had been battling blazes that threatened towns all along the tracks of the St. Paul & Duluth Railroad and the Eastern Minnesota Railroad. These two railways intersected at a point originally called Central Station, later renamed Hinckley.

      A few miles south of Hinckley, near the villages of Mission Creek and Brook Park, two of these small fires, whipped by increasing winds, began their deadly run to the north. By 3:00 p.m., the fire by Brook Park had expanded to a three-mile-wide wall of flame. Residents had been planning to escape on a train scheduled to pass through on its way to St. Cloud. Unbeknownst to them, it had derailed just one mile before reaching their village. The intense heat had caused the tracks to warp and spread, overturning the locomotive. In desperation, many sought haven in the local millpond.

      Simultaneously, six miles to the east, a large fire burned near Mission Creek. The skies turned black as midnight when the fire, pushed by gale-force winds, overwhelmed the town. Most of the citizens ran for a potato patch and covered themselves with wet blankets.

      As the afternoon warmed and the winds increased, these two fires raced towards Hinckley. Updrafts, created by 1,500-degree (Fahrenheit) heat, carried sparks and firebrands high in the air, where strong winds carried them far ahead of the fire front, starting hundreds of smaller fires. This leapfrogging effect resulted in an explosive rate of spread.

      The two fires converged just south of Hinckley, where the volunteer fire department battled valiantly but hopelessly against the onrushing flames. As buildings literally began exploding around them, fire chief John T. Craig ordered his men to save themselves and their families. The local Catholic priest, Father Lawler, rushed through town shouting, For heaven’s sake, leave all you have, Hinckley will be destroyed!

      Located next to the Eastern Minnesota depot was a spring-fed gravel pit that had long been considered by locals as a blight on the landscape. Even on that hot, droughty, summer day, it still held about three feet of water and animals continued to use it as a watering hole. In retrospect, the entire population of the town could have been saved in its shallow depths. But, panic caused some to run north of town, many jammed onto the waiting trains, and only about a hundred people dashed for the gravel pit.

      Waiting on the Eastern Minnesota siding that day was the Daily Freight No. 24 with Edward Barry in engine No. 105. It had been delayed on its southbound run from Superior, Wisconsin, to Hinckley after encountering dense smoke along its route. Finally arriving at the station, Barry was unable to reach the roundhouse to turn around because the rails were contorted from the intense heat. Barry was forced to pull his train onto the siding because of the expected arrival of another train from Duluth, which had the right-of-way. Passenger train No. 4, driven by William Best in engine No. 125, pulled in over two hours behind schedule due to the same low visibility conditions Barry had met. After a hurried conference, the two engineers decided to couple their trains together for an emergency return trip to Duluth. This decision meant that both engineers would have to drive backwards because the roundhouse was inaccessible.

      The trains caught fire as they headed north out of town. This did not deter Best from stopping to pick up an additional 40 refugees along his route. He then gambled on crossing the burning trestle over the Kettle River. Only minutes after creeping across the bridge at five miles per hour, the structure crashed into the river 150 feet below.

      Sandstone was one of the six towns incinerated in the fire. Most of its residents, as in other towns, did not heed the repeated warnings to leave. Those who saved themselves managed to do so by reaching the Kettle River. Many perished as they ran towards the river.

      While this drama was occurring, another tragedy was taking place on the northern outskirts of Hinckley. Death overcame 127 souls and countless animals huddled in a marshy area along the railroad tracks instantly when a fireball rolled overhead, sucking the air from the lungs of man and beast. Witnesses reported hearing one loud moan, then

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