Secrets in the Woods, Excerpt by Susan D. Levitte

On October 8, 1871, fire turned night into a living hell.

While Chicago’s blaze claimed the headlines, a fiercer and more devastating inferno swept across Wisconsin’s Green Bay peninsula-obliterating farms, forests, and families in its path.

Here, among immigrant settlers carving new lives from the wilderness, survival came down to split-second choices: to run, to hide, to fight the flames. Mothers shielded children with their bodies, fathers vanished into smoke, and neighbors faced the firestorm with nothing but faith and will.

Inspired by forgotten accounts and newspaper fragments, Secrets in the Woods brings to life the untold human drama of one of America’s most harrowing nights-a story of resilience, loss, and the fragile hope that rises from the ashes.

Excerpt

A panicked horse burst through the opening in the trees and made a strange circling motion almost like a dog, then it snorted deeply and ran to the east.

She and the children increased their speed to get to Cédonie and the children who must be heading to Sofie’s for safety. The trees were exploding, and the wind was whirling even in the dense forest. It was getting harder and harder to breathe and the blankets were nearly dry when she stumbled over what she thought was a log in the forest. Brought to her knees she realized it was three figures lying on the ground.

Slightly raising the corner of the blanket they were under, she made out that it was Cédonie and her children. When she looked toward her neighbor’s house, she saw a wall of fire that they were not going to get through. The only option was to get to the well on their side of the trees.

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Meet Susan D. Levitte

Susan was born and raised as the fifth generation to live on the family land in Northeast North Dakota (nearly Canada). She moved to Wisconsin in 1997, living in Door and Manitowoc County and now resides in the pastoral Kewaunee County. Married to Quentin, they share their home with Olive and Penny, their silly Labrador retrievers, and Gil, their ever-lazy cat.

As a devoted reader of historical fiction and nonfiction, she brings her passion for history and desire to educate readers into her work. With twenty-five years of experience in global advertising and marketing, she holds a master’s degree in communications and currently contributes her expertise to the Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport.