September 1st marks the anniversary of one of the largest fires in Minnesota history- the Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894.

An intense firestorm that burned for only 4 hours but managed to destroy a quarter of land in Minnesota happened 130 years ago this year. The town has since rebuilt as they keep the memory of what happened preserved in many memorials and the Hinckley Fire Museum.

The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894

Stephen Johnson shared with Paul Walsh about the history of the firestorm and how it all began. The lumber industry in Minnesota started in the 1830s, so it all started with the cut down of white pine trees.

“For 50 years, the lumber companies have been cutting these things down and leaving that slash behind. So, by 1894, we had the world’s greatest fire hazard right here in Hinckley.”

In a summer with as many as 2,000 fires across Minnesota, one day things spiraled. Eyewitnesses saw a train catch fire from the sparks around 5 miles near Hinckley as a local farmer was burning bush just east.

“And then 100 mile an hour winds started to blow out of the southwest and whipping up these two fires. Now, that day, there was a temperature inversion. So, we had this mountain of cold air sitting up above all this hot air down on the bottom. Those two fires came together, forming this firewall and poked a hole in that cloud, got the hot air coming up and the cold air coming down. It started a tornado, and it was on fire.”

Volatile gases became explosions in the sky as the flames crawled till almost 5 miles high and were seen from Iowa. These volatile gases that do not ignite until they get to 1300 degrees and above.

The firestorm destroyed 6 towns, Hinckley included, it burned for a four hundred square mile area.

Despite just lasting 4 hours, a minimum 400 were killed, with many uncounted for. In those hours, a few heroic acts saved many lives.

Heroic Acts during the Chaos

James & the Skunk Lake

One such act was Engineer James Root, the first train of three heading to Hinckley on the day of the fire. Root’s train was one mile north of town, when he met with a hundred people screaming, “Hinckley is burned up! Save us!” Ken Buehler, director of the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, explained James Root’s heroic sacrifice.

“And what happens next is a miracle. His train is already burning up. Some of the cars are on fire. He takes as many people as he can, backs his train up a couple miles down the path where he came from up the tracks is a place called Skunk Lake.”

“This was only about 18 inches of water and then these big waves of fire would come over them and they’d take a deep breath, and they’d go underneath for about 20 seconds and then they’d come back up and that’s how they survived.”

Many other selfless acts were done in those 4 hours, so when the town rebuilt, they dedicated memorials and street signs to those who saved and those who were lost.

Through the Power of Dual Steam Engines

On other tracks heading to Hinckley from Duluth was two other trains that thanks to some actions, saved hundreds of lives. James Root was in the heat, as three blocks away as two trains, Barry’s and Best’s.

“You’ve got one track, you’ve got three trains, and you’ve got a conflagration that is destroying a city and a way of life in the communities along the railroad tracks. The first train into Hinckley headed that way was a freight train, and Edward Barry was the engineer on that train.”

William Best was the second engineer to arrive, as they both were unable to reach the water tower to refuel as the flames encroached. They both decided to link their train together and reverse their way back to Duluth as they were unable to use the turntable that was in flames. So, Best had control of the brakes as Barry was in control of the engine with being the only train with remaining fuel.

“The fire was so hot and so consuming that Barry was unable to get to the turntable to spin his engine so it could pull the train back to Duluth. Meanwhile, Best sees what’s happening and the two of them get together and they say, “We can’t go any further south, we’re going to have to back all the way to Duluth.”

Panic in the Flames

All of a sudden people saw these two trains and ran to them like magnets and boarded and they were helped by the conductors, by the porter, by everybody on that train to get as many people out as possible. With the trains connected, Berry was trying to shove off, blowing his whistle in desperation, they were not moving.

“And the reason is, Best has not released the brakes on his passenger train because he’s still boarding people. Until the very last person that wants to get on that train does, then he releases his brakes and they back all the way to Duluth, saving hundreds and hundreds of lives.”

The Legacy

Now the community along with the Hinckley fire museum, reflect and remember the help amongst devastation. Multiple memorials are placed in Hinckley with a large monolith representing those who passed during the fire. Yet despite the devastation all those years ago, the town remembers the ‘help in the middle of hell.’ They call it the Spirit of 1894.

“We were looking for a phrase, something that would capture this spirit of helping each other and she said, “It’s the spirit of 1894.”

“It’s what happened at the Hinckley fire and what caused so many people to survive and what got us through those terrible times was that spirit of 1894 of people helping people when death was imminent and we’re going to stick it out. And a lot of people gave their lives helping each other. And that great spirit that rebuilt this town is still alive today”

130th Anniversary

Multiple ceremonies and events fill Hinckley on the day of memorial, September 1st. The Hinckley Fire Musuem hosts some while others bring people together to celebrate through the reading of letters from a young girl who survived the fire.