I've heard stories about the great Michigan fires that happened in the early years of our State but had never looked into the stories. My father's family is from the thumb area and I have heard some of the details of the fires and assumed that was about the "Great Fire" that supposedly burned the whole lower peninsula. I have found old, large, charred tree stumps in both the Thumb and West Michigan that gave me tangible proof that our state burned at some time in the past. Research has brought into focus what happened and cleared up my fuzzy knowledge on this subject.
    What I've found is that two large wildfires occurred ten years apart. The first fire occurred across both eastern and western lower Michigan and the second fire was in the Thumb. Although the Great Fire covered a larger area than the Thumb Fire, neither fire consumed the entire lower peninsula. The first Michigan fire occurred the same year as the Chicago fire in 1871.
    On Sunday, October 8, 1871, wildfires burned through parts of Michigan and Wisconsin, including the cities of Peshtigo in Wisconsin and Holland and Manistee in Michigan. The Peshtigo Fire in Wisconsin also spread into Michigan's Upper Peninsula and destroyed several towns. The Peshtigo Fire burned over 1,100,000 acres in Wisconsin and Michigan before rains in the fall put it out. The Peshtigo wildfire is considered the most destructive fire in U.S. history.
    The fires that swept across parts of eastern Michigan were primarily in Sanilac, Huron, and Tuscola counties. In half an hour the fire turned Forestville Michigan into burned-out ruins. The citizens of Forestville were forced onto the beach or into the water because of the fire. Some got into boats and covered themselves with wet blankets. Many people survived by hiding in holes they quickly dug into the ground. One family outraced the fire in a wagon covered with wet blankets. The exact number of deaths from the Great Fire is uncertain, but 1,200 people are said to have died. October 8th, 1871 was the same day the more famous Great Chicago Fire started in Illinois. 300 people died in the Chicago fire and 90,000 residents were homeless. The business district and four square miles were leveled. The total loss of property and life caused by all the wildfires throughout the Midwestern U.S. that year must have been enormous.
    The fires of 1871 occurred after a long summer drought. Most of these areas had no rain in months. Lack of rain dried out vegetation and logging debris that littered the landscape with tinder-dry fuel ready for a fire. These fires are often claimed to have originated in Chicago with one theory stating that lightning started the fires. One off-the-wall idea claims that meteor showers were to blame. The Great Fire was the combination of hundreds of small land-clearing fires that formed together into a huge wildfire fanned by strong winds.
    In 1881 the thumb region of Michigan was again devastated by what has come to be called the "Thumb Fire" which followed the same path of the Great Fire of 1871. The Great Fire did not consume all the forests and timberland in the thumb area, but it killed off many trees that then dried out and fueled another fire 10 years later. On Sept. 5, 1881, a wildfire traveled through Sanilac County in four hours, leaving 150 people dead and hundreds injured. It is estimated that the Thumb Fire burned over a million acres and cost 282 lives. Comment about this article on the Epress Forum Board .

    The natural tallgrass prairie habitat in Michigan, once common, is on the verge of completely disappearing. Because of the diversity of land uses and the lack of awareness or concern for this endangered habitat, there are very few natural remnants left. Almost none of the original plant and animal communities have survived and those that remain are in danger of complete collapse. Many species of birds, mammals, butterflies, moths, and other insects are extirpated (gone from the region), endangered, and threatened by the loss of habitat.
    Until the mid to late 19th century, West Michigan had many large prairie lands. These prairies played an important role in our natural history as well as the history of the Native Americans and our early settlers. Grasslands of this type first appeared after the end of the last ice age (11,000 years ago), but what had existed for over 10,000 years was almost destroyed in less than one hundred years.
    Many West Michigan counties once had large tracts of prairie lands. Nineteenth Century travelers and early pioneers often remarked in personal diaries and letters to loved ones back home about the beauty of Michigan prairies with their tall grasses and abundant wildflowers. The dark and shadowy old-growth oak and pine forests would give way to large open and sunny prairie lands. Colorful butterflies would have danced against the winds that created waves in the swaying tall grasses. Blueberries, choke cherries, raspberries, wild plums, and other fruits would have offered fresh sweet treats along the way. Some Michigan counties that had tallgrass prairies are Cass, St. Joseph, Branch, Hillsdale, Kalamazoo, Allegan, and Newaygo. Newaygo County is specifically noted for its historic tallgrass prairies. The extreme southwest corner of the lower peninsula had prairies nearly identical to those further west, complete with buffalo, while prairies further north had fewer prairie species and more forest species.
    The largest tallgrass prairie in Newaygo County was called the "Big Prairie". The Big Prairie, along with the rest of Michigan's prairies, was turned into a "desert" by the beginning of the 20th century. The story of the Big Prairie Desert is an important local story that relates closely to the destruction of grassland habitats all over our planet. Read the history of the Big Prairie Desert here.
    Today the public is becoming aware of the loss of this local natural treasure and efforts are being made to help it come back. Currently, there are many prairie restoration projects underway in Newaygo County. The U.S. Forest Service is managing many projects on federal forest land and local townships, including Brooks and Big Prairie, have restoration projects as well. Tallgrass prairies require periodic burning to keep them healthy. This is a costly and potentially dangerous aspect of prairie management that limits restoration projects. Restoration projects often use costly commercial seed and plant stocks from outside our state rather than locally collected seed. Many restoration projects are managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in cooperation with the United States Forest Service. Volunteers are needed for collecting local seeds in the fall.

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