John Blair and the Great Hinckley Fire

John Blair was a railway porter on the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad. At 1:55 in the afternoon of 1 September 1894 his southbound train left Duluth and drove straight into the firestorm in the vicinity of Hinckley, Minnesota. Approximately a mile from Hinckley his train stopped and took on an estimated 3-400 refugees fleeing the fire. With the way blocked by the firestorm his engineer slammed the train into reverse and headed back towards Skunk Lake where everyone left the train and took refuge in the shallow, muddy, water. It was John Blair who saw to the needs and concerns of the passengers under his care both during the run to Skunk Lake and the disembarkation on its shores. His heroism was noted by passengers and crew (See “The Hinckley Fire” by McDermott and Anderson for direct quotes) and this children’s book is an excellent written and illustrated history of his efforts on that horrible day. Even though it is classed as a children’s book it is good read for adults and I would recommend it to readers of all ages. ( )