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Scott W. Berg

Biography

Scott W. Berg

Born and raised in the Twin Cities, Scott W. Berg holds a BA in architecture from the University of Minnesota, an MA from Miami University of Ohio, and an MFA in creative writing from George Mason University, where he now teaches writing and literature. He is the author of GRAND AVENUES: The Story of Pierre Charles L’Enfant, the French Visionary Who Designed Washington, D.C.; 38 NOOSES: Lincoln, Little Crow, and the Beginning of the Frontier’s End; and THE BURNING OF THE WORLD: The Great Chicago Fire and the War for a City's Soul.

Scott W. Berg

Books by Scott W. Berg

The Burning of the World: The Great Chicago Fire and the War for a City's Soul
by Scott W. Berg - History, Nonfiction

In the fall of 1871, Chicagoans knew they were due for the “big one” --- a massive, uncontrollable fire that would decimate the city. It had been bone-dry for months, and a recent string of blazes had nearly outstripped the fire department’s already scant resources. Then, on October 8th, a minor fire broke out in the barn of Irishwoman Kate Leary. A series of unfortunate mishaps and misunderstandings, along with insufficient preparation and a high southwesterly wind, combined to set the stage for an unmitigated catastrophe. The conflagration that spread from the Learys' property quickly overtook the neighborhood, and before long the floating embers had been cast to the far reaches of the city. Families took to the streets with every possession they could carry. Over the next 48 hours, Chicago fell victim to the largest and most destructive natural disaster the United States had yet endured.

38 Nooses: Lincoln, Little Crow, and the Beginning of the Frontier's End
by Scott W. Berg - History, Nonfiction

Scott W. Berg has written an account of the little-known Dakota War of 1862, when Dakota Indian warriors attacked white soldiers and settlers on the Minnesota Frontier. Federal forces quashed the uprising and found 300 Indians guilty of murder, resulting in the largest government-sanctioned execution in US history.