The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed 3.3 square miles of Holland, killing about 300 people and displacing another 100,000. The Peshtigo Fire in Wisconsin also destroyed up to 1.5 million acres and killed over 1,200 people. At least 12 towns in Michigan were seriously damaged. The fires were the result of a severe drought that affected most of the Midwest for several weeks. Journalist Gerrit Van Schelven survived the fire and detailed his experience in an essay published by multiple newspapers and books in the late 19th century. The southwest portion of Holland had only recently been platted and was still wooded when brushfires sparked the blaze within the city.