The Great Hinckley Fire of 1894

A catastrophic firestorm tore through several small Minnesota towns in 1894, but three quick-thinking train engineers saved hundreds of lives.
The Great Hinckley Fire of 1894
A photo of Hinckley, Minn. after the 1894 fire that cost hundreds of lives and destroyed the town. Public Domain
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“Hinckley was a typical place,” wrote an 1895 report on Minnesota forest fires that had occurred across the state the previous year. The modest midwestern settlement was like many that dotted the Midwest at the end of the 19th century. It boasted a handful of churches, hotels, and stores, as well as a town hall, a restaurant, two railway depots, and a public school with four teachers. The economy of Hinckley, Minnesota revolved around the town sawmill, owned by the Brennan Lumber Company, which employed 300 people and cut 200,000 feet of lumber per day.

This 1895 photo depicts the hauling of cut logs, one step in the onerous logging process. (Public Domain)
This 1895 photo depicts the hauling of cut logs, one step in the onerous logging process. Public Domain
Andrew Benson Brown
Andrew Benson Brown
Author
Andrew Benson Brown is a Missouri-based poet, journalist, and writing coach. He is an editor at Bard Owl Publishing and Communications and the author of “Legends of Liberty,” an epic poem about the American Revolution. For more information, visit Apollogist.wordpress.com.