Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports on The Peshtigo Fire, which wiped out the booming mill town of Peshtigo Wisconsin, just north of Green Bay. About two thousand people died.

Everyone's heard of the Chicago Fire, back in the 1800s. According to folklore, it was started by Mrs. O'Leary's cow. It incinerated the city in a single night. That fire killed three hundred people. The Peshtigo Fire happened on the same night and was much worse. School children in Wisconsin learn about the Peshtigo Fire, but most people don't know anything about it… until now. Two books on the subject have come out. Each takes a different approach to the story.

Peter Leschak is the author of “Ghosts of the Fireground,” a reflection on the Peshtigo Fire and his own experiences of firefighting.

Denise Gess is the co-author with William Lutz of “Firestorm at Peshtigo,” a detailed history of the disaster.