Great Fire of 1805

The Great Fire of 1805 occurred on 1805.06.11, in the city of Detroit, in the Michigan Territory 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 brigades.

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