Metz Township near Posen in Presque Isle County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Metz Fire

Photographed By J. J. Prats, September 23, 2023

1. The Metz Fire Marker

Inscription. On October 15, 1908, raging fires swept the pine forests of Presque Isle County. When the flames approached the village of Metz, a train jammed with women and children left for Posen, five miles away. At Nowicki's siding, two miles out of town, huge piles of blazing wood lined the track. As the engine raced past the siding, where the intense heat had warped the rails, the train left the track, leaving an open car full of refugees in the center of the flames. Sixteen were killed and dozens of others badly burned. Throughout this part of the state hundreds were left homeless, as many homes and farms were devastated. Supplies soon poured in so that shelters could be erected before the onset of the northern winter.

Erected 1970 by Michigan Historical Commission. Registered state site No. 280. Property of the State of Michigan. (Marker Number 280.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical date for this entry is October 15, 1908.

Location. 45° 17.069′ N, 83° 48.055′ W. Marker is near Posen, Michigan, in Presque Isle County. It is in Metz Township. Marker is at the intersection of County Road 441 and Railroad Street and the North Eastern State Trail, on the right

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when traveling north on County Road 441. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9406 Co Rd 441, Posen MI 49776, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. In Memory of Our Common Ancestors (approx. 5.2 miles away); Presque Isle Electric Cooperative Monument (approx. 5.2 miles away); Elowsky Mill (approx. 5.3 miles away); Leer / Norwegian Lutheran Church (approx. 7.2 miles away); World’s Largest Limestone Quarry (approx. 8.8 miles away); Site of Rogers City's First Flour Mill (approx. 9.3 miles away); Site of Gumm Furniture Store (approx. 9.4 miles away); Site of Bertram Building (approx. 9.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Posen.

Regarding The Metz Fire. The railroad mentioned on the marker was the Detroit and Mackinac Railway. The tracks have been removed and replaced with the crushed-limestone-surfaced North Eastern State Trail, which runs past this marker from Alpena (22 miles away southeast) to Cheboygan (39 miles away northwest).

Also see . . . The Metz Fire of 1908. Excerpt:

The Zimmermans lived on a farm just outside the village of Metz, about 25 feet south of the railroad tracks. Augusta this tells the story of their escape from the flames that swept the village:

“When everybody was getting ready to go
Photographed By J. J. Prats, September 23, 2023

2. The Metz Fire Marker
in the train, we all gathered around father and teased him to let us go, too. It was so hot and smoky, we thought we couldn’t stand it much longer, and it seemed hard to see everyone going away in the cars and we staying behind.

“But father said, ‘No children, if we’re going to burn, we’ll burn right here on our own place. We’re safer here, anyway, than we would be out in the woods on the cars.’

“So we pumped up tubs of water and got quilts out of the house and soaked them with water to put them on the roof, for we thought that we would keep the house from catching fire from the sparks. But, at last, father saw that it was of no use. The wind blew so hard we could scarcely hold on to the things that we carried out of the house. The air was full of hot sparks and ashes and burning shingles.

“Then we carried bread and butter in cans out into the field, and buried them, for we knew if we escaped, we should have something to eat.

“It was about half past 6 when it got so hot that father saw there was no use trying to save the house with the wet quilts, so he wrapped them around the children and took us over to the field. The last thing, my brother Adolph went to the barn and drove out the cows and horses. Father stayed around the house, trying to keep it from catching fire. But, at last, it began to burn, and then we saw father start to come
Detroit and Mackinaw Railway, photographer unknown (Public Domain), 1908

3. Metz Relief Train Recreation
The captions read “First Relief Car, Metz” and “Fatal Car. 12 persons perished Oct 16, 1908”
to us. He got part way across and fell. He had worked so hard, and the smoke was so thick, that it got the best of him.

“Sister Mamie and I ran to him and dragged him to the place in the lot where we had our things. We put water on him and in a little while he was alright again. Then father and Adolph got back to the barn and dragged out a load of lumber that we had stored for our new house. With the lumber and a hay rake, they fixed up a kind of shed where we spent the night.

“The next morning, the men took the lumber and built the first house that was rebuilt in Metz. Before night, we had 15 people staying there, though it is not as big as a good-sized room.

(Submitted on September 30, 2023, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.)

Credits. This page was last revised on September 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 30, 2023, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 74 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 30, 2023, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.