Newspapers from that time period, such as The Chicago Tribune, would provide firsthand accounts and insights into how the great Chicago fire affected working class families. Additionally, personal diaries or letters written by people who experienced the fire could also offer valuable perspectives on the impact on working class families.
a letter
a newspaper account
an essay
an immigrant newspaper
mrs. Oleary s cow kicked over a lantern. Theres anold movie from the 30s I think called Chicago I think. But the following pasteproves me wrongOrigin Map of Chicago from 1871. The darker area was destroyed by the fire.
The fire started at about 9 p.m. on Sunday, October 8, in or around a small shed that bordered the alley behind 137 DeKoven Street.[3] The traditional account of the origin of the fire is that it was started by a cow kicking over a lantern in the barn owned by Patrick and Catherine O'Leary. Michael Ahern, the Chicago Republican reporter who created the cow story, admitted in 1893 that he had made it up because he thought it would make colorful copy.[4] The fire's spread was aided by the city's overuse of wood for building, a drought prior to the fire, and strong winds from the southwest that carried flying embers toward the heart of the city. The city also made fatal errors by not reacting soon enough and citizens were apparently unconcerned when it began. The firefighters were also exhausted from fighting a fire that happened the day before.[5]
At the time of the Great Chicago Fire (1871), there was no Macy's in Chicago.
Macy's acquired Marshall Field & Company in August of 2005.
There are 100 fire stations in Chicago. They employ about 5,000 people.
"The Department consists of seven (7) Districts, 24 Battalions, 99 Engine Companies, 1 Fire Boat, 60 Truck Companies, 4 Rescue Squads, 1 Hazardous Materials Unit, 1 Collapse Rescue Unit, 59 Advanced Life Support Ambulances, 12 Basic Life Support Ambulances, 11 Airport Rescue Crash Units, 4 Communications Command Vans and various auxiliary equipment."
Historians agree that on Sunday evening, October 8, 1871, the Chicago Fire did indeed start in the barn of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick and Catherine O'Leary. While the blaze ironically spared the O'Leary home, located on the city's West Side at 137 De Koven Street, much of the rest of Chicago was not so fortunate. Before the fire died out in the early morning of Tuesday, October 10, it had cut a swath through Chicago approximately three and one-third square miles in size. Property valued at $192,000,000 was destroyed, 100,000 people were left homeless, and 300 people lost their lives.
In November and December of 1871 the Board of Police and Fire Commissioners held an inquiry. The purpose of this investigation was to determine, among other things, the cause of the fire. The board interviewed fifty people, including Mr. and Mrs. O'Leary. A shorthand reporter took down over 1100 pages of handwritten testimony. Despite all this, the board members failed to ascertain the fire's cause, stating merely in their report that "whether it originated from a spark blown from a chimney on that windy night, or was set on fire by human agency, we are unable to determine."
The fire In Chicago made over 200 people become homeless
The Water Tower building did not burn during the Great Chicago Fire.