On Screen


Jerry Apps, PhD - Writer/Historian and the author of "When the White Pine Was King: A History of Lumberjacks, Log Drives, and Sawdust Cities in Wisconsin".


Catherine Koele - Wisconsin DNR, Wildfire Prevention Specialist.


Jed Meunier, PhD - Wisconsin DNR, Ecologist and Research Scientist, 1871 Peshtigo Fire Expert.


Laura Marotz - Peshtigo Fire Museum Director & Historian

Ron Strojny - Peshtigo Fire Historian


More to come!

Popular posts from this blog

Wildfire Prevention Specialist Catherine Koele interviewed for "Peshtigo"

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Production continued in Woodruff, Wisconsin for an on-camera interview with DNR Wildfire Prevention Specialist Catherine Koele for Fourth Wall Films ' new documentary Peshtigo: American Firestorm .  "We are very grateful to Catherine for taking time out of her schedule to talk with us about the Peshtigo tragedy, and wildfire prevention then and today," said Fourth Wall Films producer Tammy Rundle.  “Ninety-eight percent of our fires are caused by people; therefore, they can be prevented, Koele said during her interview. "That is the key message we want to get out to the public."  The Rundles have been in production on the film project since March, and will return to Peshtigo on October 8, 2026 to film the annual commemoration of the fire and memorial for the victims.  Koele mentioned that National Fire Prevention week is held each year in October.  "In large part that is because of the fires in the Great Lake states, including Peshtigo."   “Pesht...
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154th Anniversary of Tragic Peshtigo Fire Commemorated October 8 by Peshtigo Historical Society

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October 8th, 2025 marked the 154th anniversary of the great Peshtigo, Wisconsin fire. The Peshtigo Historical Society presented its annual memorial commemorating the tragedy and honoring the victims and those who survived. The 1871 October firestorm incinerated 1.2 million acres and killed approximately 2,500 people. It is considered the deadliest fire in American history. Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films filmed the commemoration and the candlelight vigil for their documentary PESHTIGO: American Firestorm . They also filmed the mass grave at Peshtigo Fire Cemetery, and Harmony Cemetery and Mays Corners Cemetery where other victims of the fire are buried. “PESHTIGO: American Firestorm” (working title) will combine vintage photos, artists renderings, limited re-enactments and archival materials with eye-witness accounts and perspectives from present-day historians and scholars, including Jerry Apps, PhD, the author of “When the White Pine was King”, and conservationists to tel...
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Rundles Begin Production in Peshtigo, Wisconsin for Deadly 1871 Wildfire Documentary

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Emmy® Award winning filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films returned to Peshtigo, Wisconsin July 8-11 th   to film interviews for their new documentary   Peshtigo: American Firestorm .  The Peshtigo Wildfire broke out on October 8, 1871, the same day as the “Great” Chicago fire. Months of drought, smoldering logging fires, and a regional windstorm produced what witnesses described as a tornado made of fire. The fire burned 1.2 million acres and killed an estimated 1,500-2,500 people. The Peshtigo fire, not the Chicago fire, would prove to be the largest and most deadly fire in American history. The husband and wife Fourth Wall Films team have been coordinating work on the project with the  Peshtigo Historical Society , and they met with members of the group during their visit to share an update on the film’s progress. Completion of the documentary is planned for the fall of 2026. "We are so grateful to this amazing group of people for all of their know...
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