Week 12 (17 Mar 2025-23 Mar 2025):
The theme for Week 12 is "Historic Event." Historic events aren’t always world or national events. Technically, any event that happened in the past is a historic event. How was an ancestor affected by an event, either large or local? (One that pops into my mind is my grandmother, her parents, and siblings barely escaping their house during the Great Flood of 1913.)

The date was September 5, 1881. Michigan's Thumb region had been in drought conditions since April, and by mid-August, multiple forest fires had been reported throughout the area. The extreme dryness, rising temperatures, and lingering ecological damage from the devastating Port Huron Fire of 1871 created the perfect conditions for disaster.

On September 5, the Times Herald reported:
"The drouth still continues severe throughout a large part of the country. In western New York and adjoining sections of Pennsylvania, there has been great destruction of property by forest fires, and at some points, railroad trains have been obliged to plunge through floods of flames."

By September 6, the Lapeer Clarion detailed the impact of the fires:
"Wednesday, the forest fires burned the dwelling of John Storum in Deerfield, nine miles north of this city. Mr. Storum loaded his furniture onto a wagon when he realized he could not save his house and drove with his family to safety. The neighborhood has been almost panic-stricken, fearing the destructive flames that have already caused significant damage. Miles of fences have burned, and many roads through the woods are now impassable. Settlers have been battling the fire night and day."

The same edition of the Times Herald warned that a northerly wind was approaching, potentially bringing cooler weather but also worsening the smoke from burning forests in Sanilac and Huron counties.

While St. Clair County was not initially listed among the hardest-hit areas, reports confirmed that fires had caused devastation across Michigan, particularly north and west of Port Huron. Communication with affected regions was severed due to downed telegraph lines. Train travel was halted, with routes blocked at Deckerville and Croswell. Port Hope was nearly consumed by flames, forcing evacuations, and thick smoke reduced visibility to near darkness. Fires continued to spread across St. Clair County, destroying property, leaving many homeless, and putting towns like Reese, Vassar, and Millington in imminent danger. In East Saginaw, flames destroyed Porter Station and threatened Wheeler and Hemlock. Near Saginaw City, barns burned, and fires rapidly approached the river. The situation was dire for farmers, with immense losses of crops and livestock.

By September 7, newspapers began publishing urgent calls for disaster relief. The mayor of Port Huron called a public meeting to organize immediate aid efforts. In Port Sanilac, residents fought desperately to save their town, hauling water to its outskirts and keeping constant watch. Smoke choked the air, and burning cinders rained down on the village, quickly extinguished before they could ignite further destruction. One family’s oral history recounts how their great-grandmother survived the firestorm by jumping into a well and remaining there until the danger had passed.

At the same time, in Dansville, New York, the first chapter of the American Red Cross was being formed. Clara Barton had met with Michigan Senator Omar D. Conger, a Port Huron native, in May of 1881, and soon after, committees drafted a constitution for the American Association of the Red Cross. The Articles of Incorporation were officially filed on October 7, 1881, outlining the organization's mission:
"To organize a system of national relief and apply the same in mitigating the sufferings caused by war, pestilence, famine, and other calamities."

The newly established American Red Cross was immediately mobilized for its first-ever disaster relief effort: responding to the Great Thumb Fire of 1881. The organization coordinated donations of clothing, food, household goods, and cash, distributing aid throughout Sanilac, Huron, and Tuscola counties—bringing relief to those who had lost everything in the fire.