Sturgeon Bay, Wis. (September 30, 2021) – Each Fall, Winter and Spring, the Door County Maritime Museum hosts experts and interesting characters from around the country for the Maritime Speaker Series (presented in partnership with series sponsor Door County Medical Center).
The first presentation of the 2021-2022 Door County Medical Center Maritime Speaker Series will be held both in person and online on Thursday, October 7 at 7pm, featuring Barb Chisholm discussing the 150th anniversary of the Peshtigo Fire.
On the evening of Oct. 8, 1871, the worst recorded forest fire in North American history raged throughout Northeast Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, destroying millions of dollars of property, timberland, and taking between 1,200 and 2,400 lives. Beginning in Peshtigo, widespread drought conditions fueled the inferno and remarkably high winds caused the fire to spread across Green Bay to the Door Peninsula.
Barb Chisholm will give an overview of the fire that enveloped both sides of the Bay and how it influenced the area and its people, including the survival story of her great grandmother, Emmerence (Gaspard) Englebert.
More information, and a link to register for the online presentation, is available at www.dcmm.org/maritime-speaker-series .
The Maritime Speaker Series offers an assortment of monthly programs – from historical topics to current issues affecting the Great Lakes and the economy that relies on them. The Door County Medical Center Maritime Speaker Series programs are held the first Thursday of each month, October through May, beginning at 7pm, on the second floor of the Museum in Sturgeon Bay, as well as online. There is no costs to attend; we suggest donation of a non-perishable food item, or if watching online, we ask you to donate to your local food pantry.
Additional support for the Door County Medical Center Maritime Speaker Series is provided by Foremost Resorts, Westwood Shores and the Sister Bay Bowl.
The 2021-2022 Door County Maritime Speaker Series schedule:
- October 7, 2021 – Barb Chisholm: 150th anniversary of the Peshtigo Fire
- November 4, 2021 – Dan Heibler: Gales of November
- December 2, 2021 – Dr. Patrick Jung: Marquette & the Ho-Chunk
- January 6, 2022 – DCMM Speaker TBD
- February 3, 2022 – Tamara Thomsen, Wisconsin Historical Society: Wisconsin Shipwrecks
- March 3, 2022 (virtual presenter) – Dr. Victoria Brehm: Women shippers and traders on the Great Lakes
- April 7, 2022 – Northern Sky Theater
- May 5, 2022 – Daniel Lamere: America’s Cup Sailing