Today In History: The Great Chicago Fire

The great Chicago Fire, friends, 
     Will never be forgot; 
In the history of Chicago 
     It will remain a darken spot. 
It was a dreadful horrid sight 
     To see that City in flames; 
But no human aid could save it, 
     For all skill was tried in vain. 

In the year of 1871, 
     In October on the 8th, 
The people in that City, then 
     Was full of life, and great. 
Less than four days it lay in ruins, 
     That garden City, so great 
Lay smouldering in ashes, 
     In a sad and pitiful state. 

-- excerpt from "The Great Chicago Fire", by Mrs. Julia A. Moore

After a long spell of hot, dry and windy weather, a devastating fire broke out southwest of the center of Chicago that would not only kill 300 people, but destroy over 3 miles of land, including tens of thousands of homes and buildings. The Great Chicago Fire, fueled by the predominant wooden construction of these structures, allegedly began at around 8:30pm on October 8th, 1871 when a cow kicked over a lantern in the O'Leary Family barn near DeKoven Street. The flames quickly spread, while the city's water pumping system, also built of wood, failed to extinguish them. The city's water mains quickly went dry, leaving Chicago to burn through the 10th of October. By then rain was falling on the already burnt-out Near North Side, which was plagued by looting and violence, despite the implementation of martial law.

The Great Chicago Fire became not only a teachable time concerning fire safety, but also a history lesson in schools, especially on days of remembrance in the Windy City.

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

• The Great Chicago Fire of 1871: Blacks Made a Contribution. (1971, Oct 07). Chicago Daily Defender (Daily Edition) (1960-1973) 
• The Great Chicago Fire: October 8, 1871. (1927, Oct 09). Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) 
• Chicago Fire Object Lesson in Prevention: City Marks the Day with School Lectures.  (1922, Oct 10). Chicago Daily Tribune (1872-1922) 
• Kelley, J. (1927, Feb 20). What Started the Great Chicago Fire? Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) 
• 'The Great Chicago Fire': You Are There to Create the Tragic Night of October 8, 1871, 5:30 Sunday, on Channel 2.  (1955, Dec 10). Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) 
• Butcher, F. (1958, Oct 12). Epic Account of Chicago's Great Disaster: The Great Chicago Fire. Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) 
• Fire Prevention Week: Great Chicago Fire Commemorated. (1967, Oct 07). The Austin Statesman (1921-1973) 
• Cormier, R. (1971, May 02). The Story of the Great Chicago Fire, 1871. New York Times (1923-) 
• Adler, J. (1997, Mar 02). Scorching Alteration: The City's Face Was Never the Same After the Great Chicago Fire. Chicago Tribune (1997-) 
• Janega, J.  (1999, Apr 16). 'Peg Leg' Didn't Start Great Chicago Fire, Jury Finds. Chicago Tribune (1997-) 

Tips:

• Boda, John, and Raymond Johnson. The Great Chicago Fire. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2017. e-book.
• Boehm, Lisa Krissoff. Popular Culture and the Enduring Myth of Chicago, 1871-1968. New York: Routledge, 2004.  e-book.
• Cordery, Simon. Mother Jones Raising Cain and Consciousness. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2010. e-book.
• Foster, Thomas Dove. A Letter from the Fire : Being an Account of the Great Chicago Fire, Written in 1871 / by Thomas D. Foster. No place, unknown, or undetermined: Torch Press, 1923. e-book.
• Regan, Michael. The Great Chicago Fire : A Cause-and-Effect Investigation. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 2017. e-book.
• The Great Chicago Fire and Web of Memory, c2011, Chicago Historical Society and Northwestern University.

Images:

• Chicago in Flames, by Currier and Ives, 1871, Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
• Poster Image: Chicago Theater, by Daniel Schwen, Courtesy of Wikipedia.