| Baudette Fire | |
|---|---|
| Date(s) | October 7, 1910 |
| Location | Beltrami County, Minnesota (now in Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota) |
| Statistics | |
| Burned area | 300,000 acres (1,200 km2) |
| Land use | Logging |
| Impacts | |
| Deaths | 29-42 |
| Ignition | |
| Cause | Drought, sparks from trains, small brush fires, camp fires left going |
The Baudette fire, also known as the Spooner–Baudette fire, was a large wildfire on October 7, 1910 that burned 1,200 to 1,450 square kilometres (300,000 to 360,000 acres)[1] in Beltrami County (now in Lake of the Woods County), Minnesota, including nearly all of the twin towns of Spooner and Baudette.[2] The fire also burned the villages of Graceton, Pitt, Williams, and Cedar Spur, Minnesota. Damage was horrific yet less so in the communities of Zipple, Roosevelt, Swift and Warroad in the U.S. and Stratton, Pinewood, Rainy River, and Sprague across the river in Canada, which also suffered losses. The Town of Rainy River lost its lumber mill, but saved many of the residents of Baudette and Spooner since the residential area was not affected. Their American friends were welcomed into homes where they remained for a very long time as their homes had to be rebuilt, creating a strong bond between the two communities.