Fires of 1918

This permanent exhibit tells the story of the devastating forest fires that took place on October 12, 1918, in northern Minnesota. Covering a wide path of destruction, including Moose Lake, Kettle River, Automba, Cloquet, the Fond du Lac reservation, Brookston, Hermantown, Duluth, and the north shore of Lake Superior, the fires claimed nearly 500 lives.

These photos show the destruction in Cloquet and Moose Lake. Please visit our Oral History Page to read first-hand accounts of fire survivors.  

Here's also a documentary about the 1918 fire that swept through MN and destroyed much of Carlton County.