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Most people have heard of the Chicago fire of October 8, 1871. But two other devastating fires occurred that same day—one in Peshtigo, Wisconsin and another in Holland, Michigan. 

The Great Chicago Fire burned over three square miles and destroyed over 17,000 buildings. Three hundred people were killed and many were left homeless. 

The Holland Fire completely destroyed the town and of Dutch immigrants who’d started building their new homes and community in the 1850s and 60s. Over 200 died. 

But the Peshtigo Fire was the deadliest, with an estimated loss of over 2000 lives and leveling the entire town with a previous population of 7000.

Wisconsin author Liz Tolsma has captured the devastation of this fire through her novel When the Sky Burned. It’s Book 6 of the “A Day to Remember” series about American disasters. Though there’s no mention of the Holland fire, there’s a tie-in to Chicago’s inferno. This month of October is the 154th anniversary of this tragedy.

Without intending to, I read four books in a row about major fires! I don’t recommend doing that. When I read the blurbs for Daughter of Rome and When the Sky Burned, I knew what I was in for–major fires in the story. But the next two books I’d chosen also included fires. I can’t tell you which ones without giving spoilers. 

Blurb

A Tornado of Fire and Embezzlement Sweep through a Community  

Enjoy a series of 6 exciting novels featuring historic disasters that transformed landscapes and multiple lives. Whether by nature or by man, these disasters changed history and were a day to be remembered.

Promising painter Mariah Randolph longs to have her canvases displayed in the world’s best museums, and Hollis Stanford, the heir of a railroad tycoon, is her ticket to success. The railroad’s bookkeeper, Jay Franklin, discovers discrepancies and is convinced that Hollis is stealing from the company. But any proof of his dirty dealings go up in smoke when fire utterly destroys the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, October 8, 1871.

The fire leaves Mariah blind, but Jay befriends her and even helps her to start painting again. But a trip to Chicago to return Hollis’s daughter to him could put both Mariah and Jay in more danger than even the fire that devastated the town and their lives.

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My thoughts

This story about a true event told through fictional characters does the town of Peshtigo justice by relaying the horrors and fallout of this terrible day. My heart went out to the individuals impacted by this disaster. I learned a lot. Liz Tolsma’s narrative effectively dramatized the town’s culture and the fire. The story could have gone in various ways with its fictional characters, but the plot Liz chose well suited the situation.

Peshtigo, Wisconsin is a bustling lumber and railway town in the late 1800s. Mariah Randolph is a talented painter who paints the sky tinted by the wildfires—which are of no concern yet. With her fiancé Holliis’s influence, she hopes to eventually show her paintings in Chicago art galleries.

I couldn’t help but love Jay Franklin—bumbling but sweet, and a real nice guy. He’s not your typical swoon-worthy hero but is full of integrity—very protective and kind. His true colors shine brightly when under pressure. 

Unlike Hollis Stanford, Mariah’s fiancé and unscrupulous son of the railroad owner. His true colors are still hiding. Until Jay, the railroad bookkeeper, finds discrepancies in the books that seem to point to Hollis.

Actually, Hollis is demanding and controlling, but Mariah’s mother seems more concerned about it than Mariah does. After all, Mariah is attached to Hollis’s sweet six-year-old daughter, Angelina, and looks forward to being a mother. Hollis is also Mariah’s  ticket to the art gallery success. Both are reasons to hold onto him despite his less-than-stellar behavior.

When the fire wipes out Peshtigo, Mariah loses family members as well as her sight. Losing one’s vision is one of the worst things that can happen to a painter. The author did a great job navigating scenes from blind Mariah’s point of view. 

But now Mariah stands to lose even more if she breaks her engagement. However, she gradually realizes what she’ll lose if she follows through with the wedding.

On top of that, Jay possesses information that will devastate her. And there’s a price to pay for his silence on the matter. So everyone is faced with tough choices. With so much at stake, the story will keep you turning pages. It helps that a strong faith thread weaves throughout, bolstering both Jay and Mariah.

Join me for some Q & A with Liz Tolsma.

Questions about When the Sky Burned

What was your inspiration for writing When the Sky Burned? What’s your personal connection to the setting or situation?

Of course, because I was a public school kid in Wisconsin in fourth grade, I learned about the Peshtigo Fire. It was required for all of us. Fire is one of my biggest fears, but something about the resilience of the people struck me even back then. It was a story that lingered in my head. 

Then at the beginning of my writing career, Barbour Publishing was doing short historical novels for each state under their Heartsong Presents line. I had worked up one book that eventually became my first published novella. 

That was set in Wisconsin, so I needed another Wisconsin story. The Pestigo Fire was natural for me to write about. I completed that book. When Barbour was looking for disaster stories, I dusted it off, reworked major sections of it, and that’s how When the Sky Burned came to be.

What historical parameters were imposed on you? Where did you have to fill in the gaps with your imagination?

Of course, I had to have the fire take place in Peshtigo, Wisconsin (though it did affect other areas of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan that night), and I needed to have it happen on October 7, 1871. It took some doing for me to figure out where the railroad line would have ended after the fire. 

I didn’t have to fill in too much with my imagination as there are numerous books written about the fire, including first-hand accounts. I did make up the railroad baron in Chicago, though I based him off a lumber baron who did live in Chicago and whose mansion did burn that same night in the Great Chicago Fire.

There’s any number of directions you could have taken this story about the Peshtigo fire. How did you decide on the characters’ situations and plot surrounding the fire? 

My original manuscript didn’t have much intrigue or much to really make it interesting. The more I researched the area and learned about the lumber and railroad tycoons, the more I knew I needed one of them to be the antagonist. A bad guy. 

My original heroine was also injured in the fire, suffering from facial burns, but I decided to change that when I read about how many people, including the Catholic priest, were blinded after the fire, their eyes swelling shut. I can’t say too much more about that without giving away the ending of the story.

How did you develop your heroine Mariah and hero Jay? Do your characters hijack the story or do you have full rein? 

My characters always hijack the story—LOL! I wanted Mariah to be a creative, so I chose for her to be a painter. It was the perfect way for me to show the fires that burned all summer long in the area. 

I needed Jay to be the opposite of Mariah’s railroad baron fiancé, so he showed up as a rather clumsy, bumbling man with a heart of gold. And you’ll have to read the story to find out how he did end up being so much more that a bumbling fool.

What would Mariah and Jay have to say about you?

That I put them through too much torture! A fire. Attempted murder. Loss of eyesight. Loss of jobs. What didn’t I put them through!

What unusual thing did you do or discover while researching for this story?

Sit down and have a cup of tea while I tell you all about the Peshtigo Fire. Just kidding. It was fascinating and horrific all at once. People were completely burned up, nothing left of them. I saw photos of the town after the fire, and the only thing left was a brick chimney. But Wisconsinites are known for being tough. With the forests cleared, the railroad they had been building slowly was suddenly completed in record time.

Many people have heard of the Great Chicago Fire, which was terrible and claimed around 300 lives. Put the Peshtigo Fire burned many more acres and killed somewhere between 1200 and 2500 people. 

The numbers vary because the lumberjacks came and went. A boatload of immigrants had arrived in the town that morning, but no one knows how many were on the boat. I believe the number to be somewhere in the middle, between 1800 and 2000 people. 

Peshtigo, which was a booming lumber town at the time, never lived up to what people thought it was going to be. Today it’s a charming little town in northeast Wisconsin. There’s a museum there with artifacts, and you can visit (and I have) some of the mass graves and individual headstones in various cemeteries. 

COMMENT BELOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY AND WIN THIS BOOK!

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Back to Laura . . . On a similar note . . . 

If you like dual timeline fiction about family dynamics in a small town Midwest (Wisconsin) setting, try The Broken Weathervane (launched September 2). Two co-workers seek the same information. One wants to publish it; the other has good reasons to keep it hidden. The timeline alternates between 2015 and the 1950s. Check out the reviews and book trailer here.

If you like historical fiction, you might enjoy my novel A Hundred Magical Reasons (launched January 2025). This story spotlights L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, his friendship with a young girl, and his impact through the decades. Set in Holland, Michigan, this dual timeline novel alternates between 1980 and the early 1900s. Read more and watch the book trailer here. 

If you like Southern fiction and small town/rural stories about family dynamics and secrets, you might enjoy my novel All That Is Hidden. Set near North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains in 1968, the story spotlights the bond of family and the connections of a tight-knit community. Northern exploitation threatens as a father’s hidden past catches up to him and tests family ties. Learn more and watch the trailer here.

All That Is Hidden is now an audiobook! 

I invite you to join my monthly newsletter for writing updates, freebies, and giveaways. Sign up and I’ll send you 7 Oz-inspired recipes: A-Taste-Of-Oz-Cookbook-Sampler.com

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Liz Tolsma bio

Liz Tolsma is a popular speaker and an editor and the owner of the Write Direction Editing. An almost-native Wisconsinite, she resides in a quiet corner of the state with her husband and is the mother of three. Her son proudly serves as a U.S. Marine. They adopted all of their children internationally, and one has special needs. When she gets a few spare minutes, she enjoys reading, relaxing on the front porch, walking, working in her large perennial garden, and camping with her family. Visit her website at www.liztolsma.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter (@LizTolsma), Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. She is also the host of the Christian Historical Fiction Talk podcast.

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Join me next time for a visit with author Cathy Gohlke.

Meanwhile, have you read When the Sky Burned or other books by Liz Tolsma? Did you know about the Peshtigo Fire? Answer in the comments below.

Ever reading,

Laura

Sign up for my monthly newsletter and receive the 7 free Oz-inspired recipes: A-Taste-Of-Oz-Cookbook-Sampler.com