The Great Fire (children's novel) by the angry citizens of Chicago. Before the great fire that devastated it, Chicago was known as the Queen City of the West and the Gem of the Prairie. Now, it was nothing but dust. Reviewer Erin Whalen described the novel as having "vivid description" that "makes it easy for students to imagine being at the event and to feel what the victims of the fire went through." Other critics described the novel as a book that sparks excitement and interest in the fire that occurred in Chicago. The novel is also described as being adventurous and hard to put
Great Michigan Fire was burned over by the Thumb Fire, which followed part of the same path of the 1871 fires. In the mid-1830s logging began in Michigan and grew into a significant industry. Michigan was extensively logged for the Eastern white pine, measuring tall and exceeding in diameter, along with the hardwood forests. By 1854, sixteen sawmills were in operation, producing over of lumber. These operations left behind branches, bark and quantities of unused wood. The fires of October 8, 1871, started after a long dry summer. Most areas had had no rain in months, making the dried-up vegetation and logging debris,