Wisconsin: A Captivating Guide to the History of Wisconsin and Peshtigo Fire of 1871

I learned much from this work.

Despite reading other buyers’ negative feedback about this book, I bought it. I read to about the half-way point then tossed it into the garage. Really a terrible bit of work.

Evidently some readers liked this book. It is easy reading...to say the least. It is as I a child with a limited lexicon and great enthusiasm is giving her first speech in class.No named author.....rather it is written by a firm that churns these simple "histories" out.

As a 60 year resident of America's Dairyland I thought I knew quite a bit about my state. Its refreshing to read about something besides cheese, the packers (and other sports teams). I'll admit a lot of the topics presented I never heard of especially Milwaukee politics. Seems as though its true history does repeat itself. Different project, same squabbles over the Benjamins. I wish this book would have been available in the early 1980s when I was studying for a US history degree.

Both parts of this book are well-worth a reader's time, but I was absolutely enthralled by the 'Peshtigo Fire of 1871.' It is one of the best books I've read this year.  The word pictures are amazing.  WISCONSIN SECTION --Cheese and the Peshtigo Fire were the only two attributes I knew about Wisconsin before reading this book.  I really liked how the author tied the prehistory of Wisconsin with the mastodon remains found by four rambunctious Dosch boys in 1897.  The author doesn't get too bogged down in explaining the Clovis people and the people who followed; I liked the gentle overview of the salient facts.It's interesting to note that 4/5 of the indigenous peoples of America have common DNA with the Clovis people.  The author makes the point that the French were the people who interacted most kindly with the indigenous folks.  This is a well-written, interesting story of a state that few of us know well.  There is also a generous list of sources at the end, for further study.  PESHTIGO FIRE OF 1871 --Wow! This isn't just another fire story; it is a fascinating read about a serious American history event that few of us remember.  One of the most important reasons for this absence of memory is because, on the same night, Chicago also burned.  However, the Peshtigo caused more death; but Chicago is a bigger town.  Peshtigo's fire was  'the deadliest wildfire event in American history.'Today, Peshtigo is best known (with a population of only about 4000) for the fire that almost obliterated it.  I read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down.  I felt like I were there, watching the trees explode and the hot ashes "snowing" over everything.  The reason this story is so poignant is that the author told the story through the eyes of several of the citizens of Peshtigo.  The author wrote word pictures of the aftermath:  Father Pernin found a pool of metal on the ground; it was all that was left of the church's new bell.  This book is well worth a reader's time and interest.

Wisconsin:Before reading this book, the only thing I knew about Wisconsin is that they are the producers of really great cheese.This book explains the history of Wisconsin from the start and I found it really interesting.I especially liked reading about it's republican history, and the French and British colonizations,The Dosch Brothers and the Boaz Mastodon,The Clovis people,The Winnebago War,and theThe Blackhawk War.You can't go wrong with any Captivating History book or learning more about our history.I highly recommend this book.The Peshtigo Fire of 1871:“A city rebuilt fromthe ashes.”Peshtigo may be just another small Wisconsin town today, but a hundred and fifty years ago, it really was nothing but ashes.It happened on the very same night and killed four times as many people as the great Chicago fire.I enjoyed this book but it was really heart wrenching to learn what these townspeople went though.The heroes and survivors are a testament to the human spirits resiliency.I really enjoyed learning aboutThe Ojibwe tribe actually called themselves “An-ishinaabe,” “True People.”,Father Pernin, Lars Korstad,Joseph LaCrosse and baby Florence, and their harrowing stories .This book details their stories in a way that gets your heart pumping and you can vividly picture the scene of the fire. Characteristic of wonderful Captivating History's books. When you remember that this really happened it takes your breath away.I highly recommend this book, it's one that I won't forget.

This book is a bundle of two books in one book. The introduction of the Peshtigo Fire part of the book says that most people picking up this book have never even heard of a place called Peshtigo. That applies to me personally, since I never heard of it before I was aware of the existence of this particular book. The residents of the town number approximately 4,000 people. The book goes into detail about the fire and its effects. The Great Peshtigo Fire of 1871 claimed four times as many lives as the fire in Chicago. The part of the book about Wisconsin as a state is an interesting book about the state of Wisconsin. I liked reading this book because I learned some new facts about Wisconsin that I did not know before reading this book. I read this book for my personal pleasure and personal knowledge. Before reading this book, I did not know much about the history of Wisconsin. Now that I read this book, I know more about Wisconsin than I knew before. I would recommend this book for people whose knowledge of the history of Wisconsin may be lacking, so they can increase their knowledge after they read this book.