The Great Chicago Fire, 1871

Lithograph entitled: The Great fire at Chicago Oct. 9th 1871. View from the west side. On the evening of October 8, 1871, just after nine o'clock, a fire broke out in the barn behind the home of Patrick and Catherine O'Leary at 13 DeKoven Street. How the fire started is still unknown today, but an O'Leary cow often gets the credit. Firefighters were initially sent to the wrong neighborhood. When they finally arrived at the O'Leary's, they found the fire raging out of control. The blaze quickly spread, burning for two days, and only dying out once rain began to fall. Chicago was devastated. At least 300 people were dead, 100, 000 people were homeless, and $200 million worth of property was destroyed. The entire central business district of Chicago was leveled. The fire was one of the most spectacular events of the nineteenth century, and it is recognized as a major milestone in the city's history. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S. disasters of the 19th century, the rebuilding that began almost immediately spurred Chicago's development into one of the most populous and economically important American cities

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Blaze Burn Catastrophe Devastation Inferno Overview

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