The Great Fire of Eighteen Seventy-One — Holland Burns with Chicago
Near Holland, Michigan
On October eighth, eighteen seventy one, Holland, Michigan caught fire on the same night that Chicago burned. It was not a coincidence. October of eighteen seventy one was exceptionally dry across the entire upper Midwest, and dozens of fires were burning simultaneously in the forests and fields of Wisconsin and Michigan. The Chicago fire killed nearly three hundred people and drew most of the national attention. On the same night, fires swept through several Michigan towns including Holland, Manistee, and Port Huron.
Holland had been built almost entirely of wood. The exact cause is unknown, but strong winds appear to have spread a small brush fire into the town. By the time it burned out, the fire had destroyed most of downtown Holland. One person died.
The response was rapid. Aid arrived from other communities, and when Holland rebuilt, many of the new downtown buildings were brick instead of wood. The disaster that destroyed the kolonie's first generation of wooden buildings gave the city the architectural character that still defines it.
