On Saturday, the Fires of 1918 Museum and Depot in Moose Lake will commemorate the 105th anniversary of the fires that devastated the region on Oct. 12, 1918. A documentary will be shown at 2 p.m. in the Soo Line Event Center and memory candles will be available. There will be coffee and conversation afterward.
On this date, Oct. 13, in 1918, the world was catching wind of the fires that consumed northeastern Minnesota the day before. Fires wiped out the cities of Moose Lake, Cloquet and other towns, along with rural areas all the way up to Duluth. More than 450 people were killed and 52,000 injured or displaced in the region.
The Pine Knot has a cache of firsthand accounts of the fire written years ago. Some are shared here, with editing for clarity and length.
From Jean Tetu, writing from the Dube Hotel in Cloquet, date unknown.