Chisholm Fire. 



The only actual catastrophe, however, occurred at 

 Chisholm, late on the afternoon of Saturday, the 4th of 

 September. The mining village of Chisholm (which is 

 being rapidly rebuilt) was credited with a population of 

 3,000; but its area extended over a mile, and included 

 on the east three mining plants with their own little 

 villages, and which escaped injury by fire. Alsp the 

 new Central schoolhouse and many other buildings were 

 uninjured. 



The Chisholm fire originated at a lake about ten 

 miles northwest, in the unorganized township 59, range 

 21, containing only a dozen settlers, and had been set by 

 fishermen from Chisholm who had frequented the lo- 

 cality Saturdays and Sundays several weeks previously. 

 They had been driven out of two of their camping places 

 by fire caused by their negligence. Their fire had been 

 burning and smouldering for a week or more until the 

 4th of September, when a gale from the northwest drove 

 the spreading flames directly towards Chisholm, over 

 undulating country covered with slashings and scattering 

 young growth, and which a few years previously was a 

 heavy forest of pine and hardwood. 



Slashings Caused Chisholm's Destruction. 



I visited Chisholm October ist and saw that an area 

 of twenty or more acres in the village limits and close 

 to buildings on its west side had, up to the time of the 

 fire, been covered with slashings left from logging a few 

 years ago. Had these slashings been previously burned, 

 the fire would have stopped before reaching any building 

 in the village. Had this office been notified by the local 

 authorities of the existence of these slashings, they 



