Families Trapped and Burned Alive: The Metz Tragedy, 1908

We can only imagine what it was like for the poor souls who did not survive; and it's another whole mindset altogether to imagine what it was like to be a survivor.

One of Michigan's most tragic events happened in the Presque Isle County town of Metz, somewhat northwest of Millersburg and 15 miles south of Rogers City.

It was during the morning of October 15, 1908. People were beginning their day, anticipating the upcoming Halloween festivities. The townspeople had heard about a raging fire that was sweeping northwest of town, 19 miles away in Millersburg. The fire swept north until it reached Huron Beach, 30 miles away from Metz. Hearing this, the people of Metz thought the lake would stop the fire and were somewhat relieved that the blaze was not heading their way.

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But then the wind shifted and so did the fire. It blazed 30 miles down to Metz, wiping out everything in its path and eventually the town. By nightfall, 37 people were dead and 700 residents homeless.

Administrators of the Detroit & Mackinac Railroad sent a special train to Metz in order to save some townspeople. 40 residents, mostly mothers and their children, got on board with a few belongings. But things were not moving quick enough. By the time the train was ready to leave, Metz was engulfed in flames, covering the train tracks with such intense heat, the tracks were melted and warped, hindering an escape from town.

Attempting to get out of there, the train derailed. Some of the passengers jumped off and were able to escape, but about a dozen people were burned to death in the gondola....9 of them children, as the remains of their ashes & bones revealed.

To this day, nobody knows for sure what started the fire. Some say it had been a dry summer and it didn't take much for a fire to ignite and spread. True or not? Maybe a careless individual was to blame. If so, he or she never came forward, leaving the cause a mystery.

You can visit the site and read the Historical Marker at the Metz Fire Trailside Historical Park, located at the very site where the train passengers perished.