In the summer of 1894, fires were endemic over most of northern and north-central Wisconsin. Rainfall was below normal, resulting in especially hazardous conditions in an area of sandy soil, forests, and logging activities. The towns of Keith, Mason, Shell Lake, and Poplar suffered severe damage in the fires, and Phillips was totally destroyed. Fifield, Prentice, Medford, Chelsea, and the saw mill and farming settlements were endangered. There was general concern about the velocity and direction of the wind. Nearly four-hundred people died in the fires. Committees to alleviate the immediate distress of the victims were organized on a state-wide level and in almost every neighboring community as well as in the cities of Milwaukee and Superior.
On July 28, 1894, a mass meeting was held at Superior in response to a telegram from B. W. Davis, chairman of the Relief Committee of Phillips, Wisconsin, reporting that the town had been entirely destroyed by fire that morning. At this meeting the Superior Fire Sufferers' Fund, 1894 was organized, and numerous committees were established. These included a General Relief Committee, an executive committee, and also committees to solicit money, clothing, and prepared provisions; meat; flour; and transportation. These committees raised and administered the Superior Fire Sufferers' Fund, 1894 until its final dispersal and their own dissolution early in 1895.
