Minnesota's Worst Natural Disaster

A thousand people died. More than 50,000 were displaced. A quarter of a million acres burned. More than a billion dollars of property was damaged (converted to modern money).

The toll is hard to tally. The impact enormous. The Cloquet-Moose Lake fire is the worst natural disaster in Minnesota history when it comes to casualties suffered in a single day. The images are horrific.

So many settlers burned alive. One family suffocated seeking shelter in their root cellar as the fire passed over, the flames took the oxygen away. Super heated gases also surged.

Some got to the water. Moose Lake offered refuge for those who could drive there. The fire jumped the lake, moving from tree top to tree top. Many collided in car accidents through the thick smoke. 26 deaths were recorded at one intersection.

The fuel for the massive fire was timber. Northern Minnesota was logging heavily in the early 1900s. It was a large industry. It was a hot summer with low humidity. All the conditions necessary for disaster.

The spark is said to have come from a train igniting nearby kindling. In reality, it was multiple fires that combined into one terrifying fire storm.

Images and information provided by Minnesota History Society and Moose Lake Fire Museum.