Week 8: Hurricane Digital Memory Bank

Aftermath of the Peshtigo fire

Stories of disaster have an appeal.  There’s a fascination in the forces of nature – something that reminds us that no matter how advanced a civilization, the primitive, raw fury of a storm, fire, flood or earthquake can destroy the indestructible.

As a kid, I was fascinated with the Peshtigo fire.  The northern Wisconsin lumber town and several neighboring cities were destroyed by fire on Oct. 8, 1871 – the same day as the Chicago Fire.  The Peshtigo fire burned 1.5 million acres; the death toll was more than 1,200 people – three times higher than the Chicago death toll.  Though the largest fire in American history, Peshtigo is scarcely remembered. There was nothing left.  The few survivors wanted only to forget.

I was particularly interested in this week’s Hurricane Digital Memory Bank (and Week 6’s Triangle Fire Open Archive). It’s important to remember these natural disasters – the power of Mother Nature that devastates no matter how prepared man is.

I found the Ninth Ward Tour videos, featuring Greta Gladney, a Ninth Ward activist and (unsuccessful) 2006 mayoral candidate, as the tour guide particularly interesting.  As the bus drove through the Ninth Ward Greta pointed out landmarks – her childhood home, where she went to school.  She interspersed stories from the Hurricane Katrina with her personal history and the history of the neighborhood. She talked of the present – how residents were facing the demolition of their homes without their consent or, in some cases, their knowledge.

Gladney talked about the threats to neighborhoods, community programs and public schools in the wake of Katrina.  She gave the devastation a voice and a story – the kind of story I looked wanted to hear about Peshtigo. This is another great example of digital culture’s commitment to history. Precious Places, The Triangle Fire, Mapping Memories, Center for Digital Storytelling: Digital media isn’t just changing culture – it’s preserving it.