The prairie settlers were in great danger of prairie fires, between the time the frost killed the grass in the fall and the coming of the snows of winter, and from the going of the snows toward spring and the growth of the new grass. The grass grew generally from two to eight or ten feet high and very thick on the ground. The settlers were confined to the timber belts along the streams and their little fields furnished but little if any obstruction to a big prairie fire. At first there was little or no brush and a belt of timber, unless of much width, would not stop it. With a high wind a prairie fire would advance at a speed now unbelievable, in most cases almost as rapid as the wind. because the wind would carry sparks and blades of burning grass through the air, igniting the grass long distances ahead of the body of the conflagration, thus continually starting new fires ahead. On an open prairie, before a high wind, no horse could run fast enough to keep up with it. Such rapidly moving fires, however, were only occasional.

Early in the fall it was the supreme but oft-neglected duty of a settler to burn wide fire guards around the exposed sides of his improvements. These guards were made by first plowing three or four furrows next the improvements, and another set of furrows several rods on the prairie side. Sometimes the latter furrows were not plowed. Then the first very calm spell that came the whole family, if large, was called into the work -- or, if the family was a small one, then two or three neighbors were called upon, and the grass outside the inner furrows was set on fire in one place, close to the inner furrows, if no outside furrows were plowed, or if plowed, the fire was set farther out. Each person was supplied with small bundles of switches, easy to wield with the two hands. One person would extend the firing line slowly and cautiously, because the wind might prove teacherous and blow quite suddenly from any direction. When the fire had burned back far enough, it was whipped out with the switches. And thus the work proceeded until the fire guard was finished. Usually burning fire guards was done some windless evening and often lasted until far into the night.

Besides accidents caused by a sudden rising of the wind, or negligence in whipping out the last spark, once in a while inexperienced settlers would attempt the work alone.

In spite of all preparations against prairie fires, quite occasionally the guards would be jumped by sparks of flying leaves, grass, or rolling, tumbling weeds. Tumbling weeds were greatly in evidence in those days and were the cause of great danger in times of fire. They grew to great size, several feet in diameter. Before a high wind they would roll many miles, or until they reached timber or some obstruction, like a fence. In case of a prairie fire they carried flames a long distance over burned or plowed ground.

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As he noted above, sometimes, even the most experienced of pioneer can lose everything to a raging prairie fire...

PRAIRIE FIRES

October 23, 1878 -- The terrible scourge that every fall as regularly as the season turns around visits almost every section of our county with more or less destruction of property, is this season causing more damage than usual. Not only is personal property destroyed but in some instances fatal accidents to human life are recorded among the calamities.

Franz Henggler lost by fire Sunday $700 to $800 worth of young timber. In the same neighborhood Mr. Schmitz's cornfield was burned. John Haney, a few miles east of Columbus, lost a large rick of hay. G. P. Shatts lost grain and hay. James Compton, Jr., his dwelling house and contents of granary, stable, windmill, etc., besides his stacks of grain. His neighbor, Patrick Griffin, lost his granary and cattle sheds. The fire which did this work started from the railroad track near Martin Regan's Saturday evening and reached Shell Creek about midnight, the wind being in the southwest. Reaching the creek, it traveled slowly, and in the evening the wind changing nearly north, the fire swept southward on the west border of its former line, stopping very nearly where it started.

From William M. Stevens, living across the county line in Colfax County, we learn of the following losses by fire: Captain Brown lost all his small grain; Henry Gluck, stables, hay and grain, Gus Gluck, grain, hay and considerable wood; Mike Burk all his grain, hay, cattle sheds and corral; Larry Burns, all his personal property, except house and granary; Mr. Barnes lost everything except house and furniture, also a threshing machine belonging to the Jenny brothers.

STEARNS PRAIRIE

H. T. Spoerry of Stearns Prairie, reports a destructive fire there last Sunday, destroying for R. W. Young all his hay and grain, three horses and all his buildings; T. J. Ellis by the same fire, all his grain, hay and stable; and Mr. Hellbusch, twelve stacks of grain and his grove of timber.

LOOKINGGLASS VALLEY

Mr. Peterson lost 1,000 bushels of wheat, all his outbuildings, stable and hay; Louis Cedar, his team, harness and stable; Andrew Larson, grain, hay and stable; S. Nelson lost all his hay; William Irwin, eight stacks of small grain; Peter Valine, eight stacks of wheat on his timber claim; J. W. Dickinson, four stacks of wheat; Mr. Burling, wheat, oats and rye and all his hay and stable; Jacob Jacobs, all his grain and hay and his wife was badly injured; John Ennis, all his wheat and part of his hay and stables; George Mitchener everything but his sod house, and was himself badly burned, and his neighbor, Mr. Middleton, in trying to help him, lost his life; Mr. Zeigler lost all his grain; S. C. Osborn, 500 bushels of wheat destroyed in the stack; and all his hay and flax; on Shell Creek, Charlie Williams, four stacks of wheat; Daniel Holleran, large amount of hay; Martin Bohan, all his hay and nearly all his grain; Hans Oleson, four stacks of wheat; James Ducey, everything he had but live stock -- buildings, machinery and wagon all burned; Pat Ducey, everything but his house and forty bushels of wheat and live stock.


It was also noted in the 1878 issue of The Journal

Prairie fires, -- Franz Henggler, John Haney, James Compton and Pat. Griffin lost by a fire which started from the railroad track near Martin Reagan's Oct. 19 in the evening, and reached Shell creek about midnight. R. W. Young on Stearns prairie lost all his hay and grain, three horses and all his buildings. T.J. Ellis all his grain, hay and stable, and Mr. Hellbush twelve stacks of grain and his grove of timber. From the Looking Glass, losses were suffered by Messrs. Peterson, Cedar, Larson, Nelson, Irwin, Valine, Dickinson, Burlin, Jacobs, Ennis, Peterson, Mitchener. Mr. Middleton, who went to help Mitchener, lost his life, managing to get home, but with nothing on him except his shoes, the skin falling off him, and he dying in a few hours. On Shell creek those who lost were Williams, Holleran, Oleson, James and Pat Ducey.



The above articles was written by G.W. Phillips, in 1915. You can read his complete book by clicking on HERE

The Journal newspaper account can be found HERE under 1878.