Great Spencer Fire of 1886 showcases community resilience

Waves of heat hit the face. Flames dance afore and behind. Heavy, black smoke blankets the air, drawing a cough and threatening to overwhelm the nostrils.

This was the scene faced by early Spencer settlers as a fire raged through town one late summer afternoon, quickly devouring many log homes and businesses. No doubt seared in the memory of all who lived through it, the great Spencer fire of Aug. 8, 1886, nearly destroyed the village. Depending on the account one reads, somewhere between half and threequarters of the village was burned to the ground. But it was the determination of the residents to rebuild and renew that kept Spencer from disappearing into the annals of history.

Spencer was already a thriving up-and-coming village by the time the fire swept through. The railroad and lumber industry sustained the village in its formative years, with additional businesses coming in to provide for the needs of the people, including blacksmith and harness shops, stores and more.

“The town grew and prospered to such a degree that by the time half of it was destroyed by the fire of 1886, it had all the appearance of a prosperous and up-to-date village of that day with well established places of business, doctors, lawyers, a newspaper, places for entertainment, civic organizations, clubs, lodges, and churches,” the Spencer Centennial Book notes.

Prior to the Great Fire, the village had already witnessed several devastating fires, including one that burned through its business section in July 1885 and another that started in front of Stoltenow’s Saloon on Sept. 17 of that year, which damaged five properties. “This makes twenty-four buildings destroyed by fire in the village since July 15,” the Superior Times reported in its Sept. 26, 1885 edition.

However, the Great Fire far superseded previous blazes in terms of the destruction caused. It began when D.F. Cressy had been burning stumps at his home and the blaze got out of control. Spencer being a lumber town with four lumber yards at the time, there was an ample supply of logs, sawdust and wood houses to fuel the flames.

The Spencer Tribune reported on the fire in an extra edition published the day afterward, Aug. 9, 1886. The article is reprinted in its entirety here. “SCORCHED AGAIN! Half the Town Burned The Most Destructive Fire That Has Ever Visited The Town Sixty Buildings Burned Sunday, the eighth day of August will long be remembered as the darkest day in the history of the village and all owing to the foolish act of a dashed fool man. For several days previous to Sunday, fire which originated on the D. F. Cressy place, worked its way eastward threatening the town at different times with destruction, and which was averted, for the time being by the wind being in a favorable direction. Saturday, however, the wind changed and it was only by a strong effort that the fire was kept out of Clifford’s mill yard.

Sunday morning the wind changed and blew almost a gale from the southwest bringing the fire directly toward the village. The alarm was given and soon the citizens were busily engaged trying to keep the fire out of Thayer’s mill yard and men worked lying flat on the ground to keep from being suffocated.

The battle was about won when the wind capriciously shifted and blew in an easterly direction carrying the fire into Clifford’s mill yard. The mills, barns, boarding house, store building, dwelling houses and lumber were soon a mass of flames. The aspect of the fire at this time was terrible. The wind blew the flames across the railroad track setting fire to the depot and water tank of the W. C. R. R. company, and lumber of Hartman Bros. and Oettel, and from there springing to the warehouses of the Necedah Lumber company and John Graves and company.

The whole east side of the village was soon a mass of flames, the fire destroying the Catholic and Methodist churches, the dwelling house and blacksmith shop of I. N. Welch, the dwelling house of D. F. Cressy, the saloon of Rudolph Oettel, Louis House and barn, John Gardiner’s store, dwelling houses and barns. The post office was in this building but the fire came so suddenly as to preclude the possibility of saving the mail matter.

The fire swept on taking the high school building, the dwelling house belonging to Luke Leatherdale, occupied by D. W. Seybert, the dwelling house belonging to J. S. Burnside, dwelling house belonging to D. W. Bodle and occupied by Mrs. Haner; the building belonging to J. W. Lowe occupied by M P. Hartford; the house owned by A. J. Wood and occupied by C. Williams; the residence of T. Box; the Thomas Welch house occupied by M. Winters and the house and barn of W. F. Blaisdell.

About the time that the fire crossed the railroad track, the residence of S. C. Hall and the planing mill of S. C. Hall and C. H. Hall took fire as well as the lumber belonging to Neils Bros. and P. A. Thayer.

The fire swept up through the piles of lumber and the dwelling houses of S. E. Brooks, A. Jenecke, H. Ehnert, A. Wichtman, A. Neils, George Dill, and the saw mill of P. A. Thayer, sweeping all clean in its path.

The large hardware store of Neils Bros. was the next building sacrificed, the fire from there jumping across the street to C. Stoltenow’s building and from there to the saloon building of P. J. Bresnahan and store building owned by M. H. DuCate, and occupied by F. Burnside and company. Here the wind suddenly lulled and the Blackstone house by dint of hard work was saved, thus checking the course of the flames. Had this building burned, the others to the northeast must certainly have gone.

The Stevens Point fire engine was telegraphed for but did not reach Spencer until all communication was shut off by fire.

The fire came so sudden that many families were unable to save anything in the way of household goods and are left destitute as well as homeless. Everything that could possibly be done to stay the progress of the fire was done and many men were fighting fire on the west side of the town when their homes were burning on the east side. The scene during the progress of the fire is beyond description. All was confusion and people were in doubt as in which direction to go, the fire seemingly being on all sides. Women carrying their little all and followed by crying children hurried through the streets looking for a place of safety. Loaded teams were driven at full speed to the west side of town, the goods unloaded and, in this way, nearly every house in town was emptied of its contents and the loss by breakage will be considerable. To mention the names of all who assisted with their teams in moving goods after it was thought impossible would require too much space here. Suffice it to say that their kind efforts were appreciated.

Mayor W. H. Upham and a large number of the wholesouled citizens of Marshfield came up as soon as the fire would admit of it and brought with them two wagon loads of provisions which were divided among the needy who had been left without food or shelter.

Mayor Upham in (sic) behalf of the citizens invited all who were un-provided with shelter to accompany them to Marshfield. Nearly all were provided, however, having found a place with friends. Nevertheless the kindly aid given and the hospitable invitation extended will not soon

Please see Fire, page 5

“The mills, barns, boarding house, store building, dwelling houses and lumber were soon a mass of flames. The aspect of the fire at this time was terrible.”

- Spencer Tribune, Aug. 9, 1886