Peshtigo, Wisconsin
Encyclopedia
Marinette County, Wisconsin
Marinette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 43,384. Its county seat is Marinette.Marinette County is part of the Marinette, WI–MI Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 3,357 at the 2000 census. The city is located within the Town of Peshtigo
Peshtigo (town), Wisconsin
Peshtigo is a town in Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,819 at the 2000 census. The City of Peshtigo is located within the town.-Geography:...
. It is part of the Marinette
Marinette, Wisconsin
Marinette is a city in and the county seat of Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 11,749 at the 2000 census.Marinette is the principal city of the Marinette, WI–MI Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Marinette County, Wisconsin and Menominee...
, WI–MI
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
Micropolitan Statistical Area
Marinette micropolitan area
The Marinette Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties – one in Wisconsin and one in Michigan – anchored by the city of Marinette, Wisconsin...
. Peshtigo is most famous as the site of the Peshtigo Fire
Peshtigo Fire
The October 8, 1871 Peshtigo Fire in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, is the conflagration that caused the most deaths by fire in United States history, killing as many as 1,500. Occurring on the same day as the more infamous Great Chicago Fire, the Peshtigo Fire is mostly forgotten...
of 1871, in which more than 1,200 people perished.
Geography
Peshtigo is located at 45°3′13"N 87°44′45"W (45.053759, -87.746028).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²), of which, 3.0 square miles (7.9 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (5.28%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,357 people, 1,315 households, and 879 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,101.8 people per square mile (425.0/km²). There were 1,416 housing units at an average density of 464.8 per square mile (179.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.00% White, 0.12% Black or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.48% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.71% from two or more races. 0.74% of the population were Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
or Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
of any race.
There were 1,315 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,898, and the median income for a family was $41,900. Males had a median income of $31,815 versus $21,531 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $16,379. About 5.6% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
Peshtigo Fire
On October 8, 1871, a forest fire driven by strong winds totally consumed Peshtigo along with a dozen other villages, killing 1,200 to 2,500 people and charring approximately 1.5 million acres (6,000 km²). This fire, known as the Peshtigo FirePeshtigo Fire
The October 8, 1871 Peshtigo Fire in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, is the conflagration that caused the most deaths by fire in United States history, killing as many as 1,500. Occurring on the same day as the more infamous Great Chicago Fire, the Peshtigo Fire is mostly forgotten...
, is the deadliest in American history. Unidentifiable remains of hundreds of residents were buried in a mass grave at the Peshtigo Fire Cemetery
Peshtigo Fire Cemetery
The Peshtigo Fire Cemetery is a cemetery in Peshtigo, Wisconsin. The cemetery is the burial location of the charred remains of victims of the Peshtigo Fire, the deadliest natural fire in the history of the United States. Identified victims were buried in traditional marked graves, and over 300...
. The Peshtigo Fire Museum
Peshtigo Fire Museum
The Peshtigo Fire Museum is a museum in Peshtigo, Wisconsin pertaining to the 1871 Peshtigo Fire and to other local history. There were 11,555 visitors to the museum in 2000. The museum is located adjacent to the Peshtigo Fire Cemetery, where the charred remains of over 350 people were buried in a...
features several items that survived the fire, plus other artifacts from the area's history.
This fire happened on the same day as the Great Chicago fire
Great Chicago Fire
The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about in Chicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S...
, the Holland, Michigan
Holland, Michigan
Holland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River ....
fire, the Port Huron Fire of 1871
Port Huron Fire of 1871
The Port Huron Fire of Sunday October 8, 1871 burned a number of cities including White Rock and Port Huron, and much of the countryside in the "Thumb" region of the U.S. state of Michigan...
, and The Great Michigan Fire
The Great Michigan Fire
The Great Michigan Fire was a series of simultaneous forest fires in 1871. They were possibly caused by the same winds that fanned the Great Chicago Fire; some believe lightning or even meteor showers may have started the fires. Several cities, towns and villages, including Holland, Manistee and...
in Manistee, Michigan
Manistee, Michigan
Manistee is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6,586. It is the county seat of Manistee County. The name "Manistee" is from an Ojibwe word first applied to the principal river of the county. The derivation is not certain, but it may be from...
.
Education
The Peshtigo School District provides public education for the Peshtigo area.http://www.peshtigo.k12.wi.usModern culture
The fictional character Caroline Duffy from the TV show Caroline in the CityCaroline in the City
Caroline in the City is an American situation comedy that ran from September 21, 1995 to April 26, 1999 on the NBC television network. It starred Lea Thompson as cartoonist Caroline Duffy. The series premiered in the two-hour Thursday night block led by Friends.-Premise:Caroline Duffy is a...
is from Peshtigo. The town was mentioned on the show many times.