Baudette in Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Great Fire of 1910
Northern Minnesota forests were tinder dry during the fall of 1910. Marshes and streams shriveled. Small fires smoldered here and there in the peat bogs and underbrush.
On October 4 a forest fire consumed the communities of Williams, Cedar Spur, and Graceton. The flames, fed by loggers’ slashings, crackled onward and three days later completely destroyed all the buildings in the little town of Pitt except the depot.
The fire approached Baudette and Spooner on the evening of October 7. As the towns rapidly became furnaces of flames, citizens gathered at the depot for safety. Victims of a typhoid epidemic were evacuated by train before a whirlwind of flame swept away the two towns and the bridge over the Baudette River that connected them.
Before morning almost everything at Baudette was leveled, leaving what one survivor called “a desolate plain” covered by charred ruins. Only the sawmill at Spooner remained standing.
Forty-two persons lost their lives in the great fire of 1910. About 300,000 acres were burned in ten townships, including much valuable timber and many homesteads and livestock.
Erected 1966 by Minnesota Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Environment. A significant historical date for this entry is October 4, 1910.
Location. 48° 43.037′ N, 94° 35.641′ W. Marker is in Baudette, Minnesota, in Lake of the Woods County. Marker is on International Drive north of 3rd Street Northeast, on the right when traveling north. The marker is located within Peace Park, beside the Baudette Customs and Border Protection facility on International Drive. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Baudette MN 56623, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 2 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Massacre Island (a few steps from this marker); Willie Walleye (approx. 0.4 miles away).
Credits. This page was last revised on October 4, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 3, 2022, by Liz Koele of St. Paul, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 208 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 3, 2022, by Liz Koele of St. Paul, Minnesota. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.