The Great Fire of 1805 occurred on , in the city of

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, in the

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

of the United States. The fire destroyed almost everything in the city. The motto of the city, ''Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus'' ('We hope for better things; it will rise from the ashes'), was written after this fire.

Development of the fire

The fire started on the morning of June 11, 1805. It is presumed that it started in or in the immediate vicinity of the stables of John Harvey, a local baker. One of the first buildings that were set alight was a nearby barn, from which the flames were able to easily spread to other flammable wooden structures. The city at the time was nowhere near its current size, being the home to only about 600 people, thus the settlement lacked adequate firefighting equipment, mainly relying on

bucket brigade A bucket brigade or human chain is a method for transporting items where items are passed from one (relatively stationary) person to the next. The method was important in firefighting before the advent of hand-pumped fire engines, whereby fire ...

s. While there were no casualties from the disaster, the whole city was razed to the ground, leaving only

Fort Lernoult Fort Shelby was a military fort in Detroit, Michigan that played a significant role in the War of 1812 (1812-1815). It was built by the British Army in 1779 as Fort Lernoult, and was ceded to the United States by the terms of the Jay Treaty in 17 ...

, an old British fort on a hill above the city, and a warehouse near the river.

Cause of the fire

No official cause was ever determined. However it was heavily rumored that John Harvey, while in his stable, accidentally knocked hot ashes from his pipe. As the day was hot and windy, the ashes were blown into a pile of hay, starting the fire.

Aftermath

After the fire, territorial judge Augustus Woodward argued that the city was badly planned, and thus should not be rebuilt the same way. He proposed a street plan based on Paris and subsequently Washington D.C., featuring hexagon-based layout with diagonal streets radiating from the city's center. The hexagon-based proposal of Woodward proved to be too complex, however parts of his plan can be seen in the city to this day in the form of Gratiot, Michigan and Grand River Avenue.

References

1805 disasters in the United States 1805 fires 19th-century fires in the United States 1805 in Detroit Fires in Michigan Urban fires in the United States {{Detroit-stub