Great Chicago Fire

Artists rendering of the re, by Currier and Ives; the view faces
northeast across the Randolph Street Bridge.

The Great Chicago Fire was a conagration that burned

from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10,
1871. The re killed up to 300 people, destroyed roughly
3.3 square miles (9 km2 ) of Chicago, Illinois, and left
more than 100,000 residents homeless.[1]

1 Origin

1868 map of Chicago, highlighting the area destroyed by the re

(location of O'Learys barn indicated by red dot).

a lantern; others state that a group of men were gambling

inside the barn and knocked over a lantern . Still other
speculation suggests that the blaze was related to other
res in the Midwest that day .
The res spread was aided by the citys use of wood as the
predominant building material in a style called balloon
frame; a drought before the re; and strong southwest
winds that carried ying embers toward the heart of the
city. More than two thirds of the structures in Chicago
1871 Chicago view before the 'Great Conagration'
at the time of the re were made entirely of wood. Most
The re started at about 9:00 p.m. on October 8, in houses and buildings were topped with highly ammable
or around a small barn belonging to the O'Leary fam- tar or shingle roofs. All the citys sidewalks and many
ily that bordered the alley behind 137 DeKoven Street.[2] roads were made of wood.[4] Compounding this problem,
The shed next to the barn was the rst building to be Chicago had only received an inch (2.54 cm) of rain from
consumed by the re, but city ocials never determined July 4 to October 9 causing severe drought conditions.[5]
the exact cause of the blaze.[3] There has, however, been In 1871, the Chicago Fire Department had 185
much speculation over the years. The most popular tale reghters with just 17 horse-drawn steam engines to
blames Mrs. O'Learys cow, who allegedly knocked over protect the entire city.[6] The initial response by the re

1
2 2 SPREAD OF THE FIRE

department was quick, but due to an error by the watch-

man, Matthias Schaer, the reghters were sent to the
wrong place, allowing the re to grow unchecked.[6] An
alarm sent from the area near the re also failed to regis-
ter at the courthouse where the re watchmen were. Also,
the reghters were tired from having fought numerous
small res and one large re in the week before.[7] These
factors combined to turn a small barn re into a cona-
gration.

2 Spread of the re

1871 Richards map of the great conagration in Chicago

Chicago Water Tower

As the re grew, the southwest wind intensied and be-

came superheated, causing structures to catch re from
the heat and from burning debris blown by the wind.
Around 11:30 p.m., aming debris blew across the river
and landed on roofs and the South Side Gas Works.[9]
With the re across the river and moving rapidly towards
the heart of the city, panic set in. About this time, Mayor
Roswell B. Mason sent messages to nearby towns asking
for help. When the courthouse caught re, he ordered
Aftermath of the re, corner of Dearborn and Monroe Streets, the building to be evacuated and the prisoners jailed in
1871
the basement to be released. At 2:20 a.m. on the 9th, the
When reghters nally arrived at DeKoven Street, the cupola of the courthouse
[10]
collapsed, sending the great bell
re had grown and spread to neighboring buildings and crashing down. Some witnesses reported hearing the
was progressing towards the central business district. sound from a mile (1.6 km) away.
Fireghters had hoped that the South Branch of the As more buildings succumbed to the ames, a major con-
Chicago River and an area that had previously thoroughly tributing factor to the res spread was a meteorological
burned would act as a natural rebreak.[8] All along the phenomenon known as a re whirl.[11] As overheated air
river, however, were lumber yards, warehouses, and coal rises, it comes into contact with cooler air and begins to
yards, and barges and numerous bridges across the river. spin creating a tornado-like eect. These re whirls are
 3

likely what drove aming debris so high and so far. Such

debris was blown across the main branch of the Chicago
River to a railroad car carrying kerosene.[12] The re had
jumped the river a second time and was now raging across
the citys north side.
Despite the re spreading and growing rapidly, the citys
reghters continued to battle the blaze. A short time af-
ter the re jumped the river, a burning piece of timber
lodged on the roof of the citys waterworks. Within min-
utes, the interior of the building was engulfed in ames
and the building was destroyed. With it, the citys wa-
ter mains went dry and the city was helpless.[13] The re
burned unchecked from building to building, block to
block.
A marker commemorating the re outside the Chicago Fire
Finally, late into the evening of the 9th, it started to rain, Academy
but the re had already started to burn itself out. The
re had spread to the sparsely populated areas of the
north side, having consumed the densely populated areas
thoroughly.[14]

3 Aftermath

Image from Harpers Weekly of people escaping the re by ee-

ing to the cemetery in Lincoln Park

Municipal Flag of Chicago. The second star commemorates the

re.[15]

re destroyed an area about 4 miles (6 km) long and av-

eraging 3 4 mile (1 km) wide, encompassing an area of
The sculpture on the site of the origin of the re, with the Chicago more than 2,000 acres (809 ha).[16] Destroyed were more
Fire Academy in the background than 73 miles (117 km) of roads, 120 miles (190 km) of
sidewalk, 2,000 lampposts, 17,500 buildings, and $222
Once the re had ended, the smoldering remains were million in propertyabout a third of the citys valua-
still too hot for a survey of the damage to be completed tion (more than $4 billion in 2016 dollars[17] ). Of the
for many days. Eventually, the city determined that the 300,000 inhabitants, 100,000 were left homeless. 120
4 3 AFTERMATH

PROCLAMATION, Chicago History Museum To the Homeless of the Chicago Fire, Chicago History Museum

In the days and weeks following the re, monetary dona-

tions owed into Chicago from around the country and
abroad, along with donations of food, clothing, and other
goods. These donations came from individuals, corpo-
rations, and cities. New York City gave $450,000 along
with clothing and provisions, St. Louis gave $300,000,
and the Common Council of London gave 1,000 guineas,
as well as 7,000 from private donations.[18] Cincinnati,
Cleveland, and Bualo, all commercial rivals, donated
hundreds and thousands of dollars. Milwaukee, along
with other nearby cities, helped by sending re-ghting
equipment. Additionally, food, clothing and books were
brought by train from all over the continent.[19] Mayor
Mason placed the Chicago Relief and Aid Society in
charge of the citys relief eorts.[20]
Operating from the First Congregational Church, city of-
cials and aldermen began taking steps to preserve order
in Chicago. Price gouging was a key concern, and in one
ordinance, the city set the price of bread at 8 for a 12-
ounce (340 g) loaf.[21] Public buildings were opened as
places of refuge, and saloons closed at 9 in the evening
for the week following the re.
The re also led to questions about development in the
Relief for the destitute, Chicago History Museum United States. Due to Chicagos rapid expansion at that
time, the re led to Americans reecting on industrial-
ization. Based on a religious point of view, some said
bodies were recovered, but the death toll may have been that Americans should return to a more old-fashioned way
as high as 300. The county coroner speculated that an ac- of life, and that the re was caused by people ignoring
curate count was impossible, as some victims may have traditional morality. On the other hand, others believed
drowned or had been incinerated, leaving no remains. that a lesson to be learned from the re was that cities
 5

needed to improve their building techniques. Frederick Almost from the moment the re broke out, various the-
Law Olmsted observed that poor building practices in ories about its cause began to circulate.
Chicago were a problem: The most popular and enduring legend maintains that the
Chicago had a weakness for big things, and liked to re began in the O'Leary barn, as Mrs. OLeary was
think that it was outbuilding New York. It did a great deal milking her cow. The cow kicked over a lantern (or an
of commercial advertising in its house-tops. The faults of oil lamp in some versions), setting re to the barn. The
construction as well as of art in its great showy buildings O'Leary family denied this, stating that they were in bed
must have been numerous. Their walls were thin, and were before the re started, but stories of the cow began to
overweighted with gross and coarse misornamentation. spread across the city. Catherine O'Leary seemed the
Olmsted also believed that with brick walls, and disci- perfect scapegoat: she was a poor, Irish Catholic immi-
plined remen and police, the deaths and damage caused grant. During the latter half of the 19th century, anti-Irish
would have been much less.[22] sentiment was strong throughout the United States and in
Chicago. This was intensied as a result of the grow-
Almost immediately, the city began to rewrite its re stan- ing political power of the citys Irish population.[24] This
dards, spurred by the eorts of leading insurance exec- story was circulating in Chicago even before the ames
utives, and re-prevention reformers such as Arthur C. had died out, and it was noted in the Chicago Tribune's
Ducat. Chicago soon developed one of the countrys lead- rst post-re issue. In 1893 the reporter Michael Ahern
ing re-ghting forces. retracted the cow-and-lantern story, admitting it was
Business owners, and land speculators such as Gurdon fabricated, but even his confession was unable to put the
[25]
Saltonstall Hubbard, quickly set about rebuilding the city. legend to rest. Although the O'Learys were never of-
The rst load of lumber for rebuilding was delivered the cially charged with starting the re, the story became
day the last burning building was extinguished. By the so engrained in local lore that Chicagos city council of-
Worlds Columbian Exposition 22 years later, Chicago cially exonerated themand the cowin 1997.[26]
hosted more than 21 million visitors. The Palmer House
hotel burned to the ground in the re 13 days after its
grand opening. Its developer, Potter Palmer, secured a
loan and rebuilt the hotel to higher standards across the
street from the original, proclaiming it to be The Worlds
First Fireproof Building.
In 1956, the remaining structures on the original O'Leary
property at 558 W. DeKoven Street were torn down for
construction of the Chicago Fire Academy, a training
facility for Chicago reghters. A bronze sculpture of
stylized ames, entitled Pillar of Fire by sculptor Egon
Weiner, was erected on the point of origin in 1961.[23] Chicago Tribune editorial

Amateur historian Richard Bales has suggested the re

started when Daniel Pegleg Sullivan, who rst reported
4 Rumors about the re the re, ignited hay in the barn while trying to steal
milk.[27] Part of Bales evidence includes an account by
Sullivan who claimed in an inquiry before the Fire De-
partment of Chicago on November 25, 1871 that he saw
the re coming through the side of the barn and ran across
DeKoven Street to free the animals from the barn, one
of which included a cow owned by Sullivans mother.[28]
Bales account does not have consensus. The Chicago
Public Library sta criticized his account in their web
page on the re.[29] Despite this, the Chicago city council
was convinced of Bales argument and stated that the ac-
tions of Sullivan on that day should be scrutinized after
the O'Learys were exonerated in 1997.[26][30]
Anthony DeBartolo reported evidence in the Chicago Tri-
bune suggesting that Louis M. Cohn may have started
the re during a craps game.[31] According to Cohn, on
the night of the re, he was gambling in the O'Learys
1871 illustration from Harpers Magazine depicting Mrs. barn with one of their sons and some other neighbor-
O'Leary milking the cow. hood boys. When Mrs. O'Leary came out to the barn to
6 6 RELATED EVENTS

chase the kids away at around 9:00, they knocked over a St. Michaels Church and the Pumping Station were both
lantern in their ight, although Cohn states that he paused gutted in the re, but their exteriors survived, and the
long enough to scoop up the money. Following his death buildings were rebuilt using the surviving walls. Addi-
in 1942, Cohn bequeathed $35,000 which was assigned tionally, though the inhabitable portions of the building
by his executors to the Medill School of Journalism at were destroyed, the bell tower of St. James Cathedral
Northwestern University. The bequest was given to the survived the re and was incorporated into the rebuilt
school on September 28, 1944, along with his confession. church. The stones near the top of the tower are still
An alternative theory, rst suggested in 1882 by Ignatius blackened from the soot and smoke.
L. Donnelly in Ragnarok: The Age of Fire and Gravel, is
that the re was caused by a meteor shower. At a 2004
conference of the Aerospace Corporation and the Amer-
ican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, engineer
and physicist Robert Wood suggested that the re began
when Bielas Comet broke up over the Midwest. That four
large res took place, all on the same day, all on the shores
of Lake Michigan (see Related Events), suggests a com-
mon root cause. Eyewitnesses reported sighting sponta-
neous ignitions, lack of smoke, balls of re falling from
the sky, and blue ames. According to Wood, these ac-
counts suggest that the res were caused by the methane
that is commonly found in comets.[32]
But as meteorites are not known to start or spread res and
are cool to the touch after reaching the ground, this theory
has not found favor in the scientic community.[33][34] A
common cause for the res in the Midwest can be found
in the fact that the area had suered through a tinder-
dry summer, so that winds from the front that moved in
that evening were capable of generating rapidly expand-
ing blazes from available ignition sources, which were
plentiful in the region.[35][36] Methane-air mixtures be-
come ammable only when the methane concentration
exceeds 5%, at which point the mixtures also become
explosive.[37][38] Methane gas is lighter than air and thus pre re house in Chicago on Cleveland Avenue (photographed in
does not accumulate near the ground;[38] any localized 2016)
pockets of methane in the open air would rapidly dissi-
pate. Moreover, if a fragment of an icy comet were to
A couple of wooden cottages on North Cleveland Avenue
strike the Earth, the most likely outcome, due to the low
also survived the blaze.[40]
tensile strength of such bodies, would be for it to disin-
tegrate in the upper atmosphere, leading to an air burst
explosion analogous to that of the Tunguska event.[39]
6 Related events

5 Surviving structures
The following structures are the only structures from the
burnt district still standing:
St. Ignatius College Prep
St. Michaels Church, Old Town
Chicago Water Tower
Chicago Avenue Pumping Station
Police Constable Bellingers cottage at 2121 N.
Hudson[40]
On that hot, dry, and windy autumn day, three other ma-
jor res occurred along the shores of Lake Michigan at
the same time as the Great Chicago Fire. Some 250 miles
(400 km) to the north, the Peshtigo Fire consumed the
town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, along with a dozen other
villages. It killed 1,200 to 2,500 people and charred ap-
proximately 1.5 million acres (6,000 km). The Peshtigo
Fire remains the deadliest in American history but the re-
moteness of the region meant it was little noticed at the
time, due to the fact that one of the rst things that burned
were the telegraph lines to Green Bay.[41]
Across the lake to the east, the town of Holland, Michi-
gan, and other nearby areas burned to the ground.[42]
Some 100 miles (160 km) to the north of Holland,
the lumbering community of Manistee also went up in

pre re house in Chicago on Cleveland Avenue (photographed in
2016)
ames[43] in what became known as The Great Michigan
Fire.[42]
Farther east, along the shore of Lake Huron, the Port
Huron Fire swept through Port Huron, Michigan and
much of Michigan's Thumb. On October 9, 1871, a re
swept through the city of Urbana, Illinois, 140 miles (230
km) south of Chicago, destroying portions of its down-
town area.[44] Windsor, Ontario, likewise burned on Oc-
tober 12.[45]
The city of Singapore, Michigan, provided a large portion
of the lumber to rebuild Chicago. As a result, the area
was so heavily deforested that the land deteriorated into
barren sand dunes and the town had to be abandoned.[46]
7 In popular culture
The University of Illinois at Chicago athletic teams
are nicknamed the Flames, in commemoration of
the Great Chicago Fire.[47]
Although set in Philadelphia, Theodore Dreiser's
1912 novel The Financier portrays the nationwide
impact the 1871 Chicago re had on the stock mar-
kets and the nancial world.
The 1937 lm In Old Chicago is centered on the re,
with a highly ctionalized portrayal of the O'Leary
family as the main characters.[48]
7
Alluded to with the 1967 unnished instrumental
"The Elements: Fire", intended for the unreleased
The Beach Boys album Smile, and completed and re-
leased as Mrs. O'Learys Cow on the 2004 Brian
Wilson solo album Brian Wilson Presents Smile.
In 1974, the Chicago Fire football team had played
in the short-lived World Football League. Another
Chicago Fire played in the American Football As-
sociation.
A key section of Richard C. Meredith's 1976 sci-
ence ction novel Run, Come See Jerusalem! depicts
the Great Chicago Fire from the point of view of
rival time-travelers from the future, whose struggle
amidst the raging ames would impact the entire his-
tory of the world.
In the 1976 TV lm Time Travelers, the protago-
nists travel back to shortly before the re, trying to
nd the cure for a present-day infectious disease out-
break.
Events of Dana Fuller Ross's 1986 novel Illinois! oc-
cur around the Great Chicago Fire.
The 1987 Williams pinball Fire!" was inspired by
the Great Chicago Fire. A cow sound can be heard
at the start of gameplay, alluding to Mrs. O'Learys
cow.
The 1996 novel The Great Fire is about the events.
The Major League Soccer team Chicago Fire was
founded on October 8, 1997, the 126th anniversary
of the Great Chicago Fire.
In the 1998 episode "Hot Time in the Old Town" of
Early Edition, Gary is sent back to 1871 to prevent
the re.
The punk rock band Allister wrote a song called
The Legend of Pegleg Sullivan for their 2005 al-
bum Before the Blackout; the lyrics are written as-
suming Daniel Sullivan (Great Chicago Fire) started
the re.
In 2014, the city of Chicago and Redmoon Theater
partnered to create The Great Chicago Fire Festival.
Held on October 4, 2014, the event fell victim to
technical diculties as replicas of 1871 houses on
oating barges in the Chicago River failed to ignite
property due to electrical problems and heavy rain
on the preceding days.
8 See also
Dwight L. Moody 19th-century evangelist whose
church was burned down in the re
8 10
Horatio Spaord Author of hymn "It Is Well With
My Soul"
Ida Henrietta Hyde
9 Panorama of Chicago after the
1871 Fire
attributed to Nick Bernhard.
10 References
[1] Bales, Richard (2004). What do we know about the
Great Chicago Fire?". Retrieved 2008-11-14.
[2] Pierce, Bessie Louise (2007) [1957]. A History of
Chicago: Volume III: The Rise of a Modern City, 1871
1893. Republished. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-226-66842-0.
[3] L.L. Owens, The Great Chicago Fire, ABDO, p. 7.
[4]
REFERENCES
[5] Miller, Donald (1996). City of the Century: The Epic of
Chicago and the Making of America. New York: Simon
& Schuster. p. 144. ISBN 0684831384.
[6] Miller, Donald (1996). City of the Century: The Epic of
Chicago and the Making of America. New York: Simon
& Schuster. p. 146. ISBN 0684831384.
[7] The re Fiend. Chicago Daily Tribune. 1871-10-08. p.
3. Retrieved 2007-11-27.
[8] Miller, Donald (1996). City of the Century: The Epic of
Chicago and the Making of America. New York: Simon
& Schuster. p. 147. ISBN 0684831384.
[9] Miller, Donald (1996). City of the Century: The Epic of
Chicago and the Making of America. New York: Simon
& Schuster. pp. 147148. ISBN 0684831384.
[10] Miller, Donald (1996). City of the Century: The Epic of
Chicago and the Making of America. New York: Simon
& Schuster. p. 148. ISBN 0684831384.
[11] Abbott, Karen. What (or Who) Caused the Great
Chicago Fire?". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 14
February 2014.
[12] Miller, Donald (1996). City of the Century: The Epic of
Chicago and the Making of America. New York: Simon
& Schuster. p. 152. ISBN 0684831384.
[13] Miller, Donald (1996). City of the Century: The Epic of
Chicago and the Making of America. New York: Simon
& Schuster. pp. 152153. ISBN 0684831384.
[14] Miller, Donald (1996). City of the Century: The Epic of
Chicago and the Making of America. New York: Simon
& Schuster. p. 158. ISBN 0684831384.
[15] Municipal Flag of Chicago. Chicago Public Library.
2009. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
[16] Miller, Donald (1996). City of the Century; The Epic of
Chicago and the making of America. New York: Simon
& Schuster. p. 159. ISBN 0684831384.
[17] http://www.davemanuel.com/inflation-calculator.php?
[18] The Great Fires in Chicago and The West, by a Chicago
Clergyman, Published by J.W. Goodspeed, Chicago,
1871
[19] John J. Pauly, The Great Chicago Fire as a National
Event, American Quarterly 36, no. 5 (Winter 1984):
p.671. The Johns Hopkins University Press, JSTOR
2712866
[20] Miller, Donald (1996). City of the Century; The Epic of
Chicago and the making of America. New York: Simon
& Schuster. p. 162. ISBN 0684831384.
[21] Pierce, Betty Louise, A History of Chicago: The Rise of a
Modern City, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1957,
p. 7
[22] John J. Pauly, The Great Chicago Fire as a National
Event, American Quarterly 36, no. 5 (Winter 1984):
p.673-674. The Johns Hopkins University Press, JSTOR
2712866

[23] Chicago Landmarks. retrieved December 14, 2006
[24] Miller, Donald (1996). City of the Century; The Epic of
Chicago and the making of America. New York: Simon
& Schuster. p. 442. ISBN 0684831384.
[25] Cromie, Robert (1994). The Great Chicago Fire. New
York: Rutledge Hill Press. ISBN 1-55853-264-1.
[26] Chicago Tribune. Mrs. O'leary, Cow Cleared By City
Council Committee. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 9 Oc-
tober 2015.
[27] Bales, Richard F.; Thomas F. Schwartz (2005). The Great
Chicago Fire and the Myth of Mrs. O'Learys Cow. Jeer-
son, NC: McFarland & Co. pp. 127130. ISBN 0-7864-
2358-7.
[28] Was Daniel Peg Leg Sullivan the Real Culprit? | the
Cause of the Great Chicago Fire. thechicagore.com.
Archived from the original on 23 February 2007.
[29] The Chicago Fire. Chicago Public Library. 2009. Re-
trieved 2009-09-30.
[30] Did a Cow Really Cause the Great Chicago Fire? | Mental
Floss
[31] DeBartolo, Anthony (199798). Who Caused The Great
Chicago Fire: The Cow? Or Louis M. Cohn?". Hyde Park
Media. Chicago Tribune.
[32] Wood, Robert (February 3, 2004). Did Bielas Comet
Cause the Chicago and Midwest Fires?" (PDF). American
Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
[33] Calfee, Mica (February 2003). Was It A Cow Or A Me-
teorite?". Meteorite Magazine. 9 (1). Retrieved 2011-11-
10.
[34] Meteorites Don't Pop Corn. NASA Science. NASA.
2001-07-27. Retrieved 2011-11-10. External link in
|work= (help)
[35] Gess, D.; Lutz, W. (2003). Firestorm at Peshtigo: A
Town, Its People, and the Deadliest Fire in American His-
tory. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-8050-7293-8.
OCLC 52421495.
[36] Bales, R. F.; Schwartz, T. F. (April 2005). Debunking
Other Myths. The Great Chicago Fire and the Myth of
Mrs. O'Learys Cow. McFarland. p. 111. ISBN 978-0-
7864-2358-3. OCLC 68940921.
[37] Gases - Explosive and Flammability Concentration Lim-
its. EngineeringToolBox.com. Retrieved 2011-11-13.
[38] Landll Gas. Environmental Health Fact Sheet. Illinois
Department of Public Health. Retrieved 2011-11-13.
[39] Beech, M. (November 2006). The Problem of Ice Me-
teorites (PDF). Meteorite Quarterly. 12 (4): 1719. Re-
trieved 2011-11-13.
[40] WBEZ: Cider House Story
[41] Tasker, G. (2003-10-10). Worst re largely unknown.
The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
9
[42] Wilkins, A. (2012-03-29). October 8, 1871: The Night
America Burned. io9. Gawker Media. Retrieved 2013-
10-09.
[43] H. R. Page & Co. (1882). The Great Fire of 1871.
History of Manistee County, Michigan. Chicago: H. R.
Page & Co.
[44] History Of The Urbana Fire Department. Urbana Fire-
ghters Local 1147. 2008-03-07. Retrieved 2011-11-11.
[45] The Timeline: Fire of 1871. Settling Canadas South:
How Windsor Was Made. Windsor Public Library. 2002.
Archived from the original on 2007-10-26. Retrieved
2008-03-14.
[46] Royce, Julie Albrecht (2007). Traveling Michigans Sunset
Coast, pp. 58-59. Dog Ear Publishing. Retrieved 3 May
2014.
[47] UIC Symbols: School Colors, Mascot, Song. UIC On-
line Student Handbook. The Board of Trustees of the Uni-
versity of Illinois. 2009. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
[48] In Old Chicago | lm by King [1937]". Encyclopedia Bri-
tannica. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
11 Further reading
Bales, Richard F. (2002). The Great Chicago Fire
and the Myth of Mrs. O'Learys Cow. Jeerson,
NC.: McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-1424-3.
Chicago and the Great Conagration Elias Colbert
and Everett Chamberlin, 1871, 528 pp.
"Who Caused the Great Chicago Fire? A Possi-
ble Deathbed Confession" by Anthony DeBartolo,
Chicago Tribune, October 8, 1997 and Odds Im-
prove That a Hot Game of Craps in Mrs. O'Learys
Barn Touched O Chicago Fire by Anthony De-
Bartolo, Chicago Tribune, March 3, 1998
History of the Great Fires in Chicago and the
West. Rev. Edgar J. Goodspeed, D.D., 677 pp.
Morris, Roy, Jr., Sheridan: The Life and Wars of
General Phil Sheridan, Crown Publishing, 1992,
ISBN 0-517-58070-5.
People & Events: The Great Fire of 1871. The
Public Broadcasting System (PBS) Website. Re-
trieved September 3, 2004.
The Great Conagration James W. Sheahan and
George P. Upton, 1871, 458 pp.
Shaw, William B. (October 5, 1921). The Chicago
Fire Fifty Years After. The Outlook. 129: 176
178. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
10 12 EXTERNAL LINKS

Smith, Carl (1995). Urban Disorder and the Shape

of Belief: The Great Chicago Fire, the Haymarket
Bomb, and the Model Town of Pullman. Chicago,
Ill.: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-
76416-8.

Mrs. O'Learys Comet: Cosmic Causes of the

Great Chicago Fire by Mel Waskin (Jan 1985)

12 External links
The Cause of the Great Chicago Fire

The Great Chicago Fire

Great Chicago Fire & the Web of Memory

Coordinates: 415209N 873830W / 41.8693N

87.6418W
 11

13 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

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nameisaustin, Saeed is gay, Ihu., Yodadude67 and Anonymous: 1023
12 13 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

13.2 Images
File:1871_Chicago_view_____________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________before_the_Great_Conflagration.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
commons/6/64/1871_Chicago_view_before_the_Great_Conflagration.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: Library of Congress
Original artist: W. Flint
File:1871_Richard{}s_map_of_the_great_conflagration_in_Chicago.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
commons/c/cc/1871_Richard%27s_map_of_the_great_conflagration_in_Chicago.jpg License: Public domain Contributors:
https://catalog.lib.uchicago.edu/vufind/Record/1586211 Original artist: R.P. Studley & Co.
File:Attributed_to_George_N._Barnard_-_Untitled_(Chicago_after_the_Chicago_Fire)_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Attributed_to_George_N._Barnard_-_Untitled_%28Chicago_after_the_
Chicago_Fire%29_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: vQFo6LZdmlZWvw at Google Cultural Institute
maximum zoom level Original artist: Attributed to George N. Barnard (1819 - 1902) photographer (American)
Details of artist on Google Art Project
File:Cheer_up.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Cheer_up.jpg License: Public domain Contributors:
Chicago Tribune Original artist: Chicago Tribune
File:Chicago-fire2.jpeg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Chicago-fire2.jpeg License: Public domain
Contributors: [1] originally uploaded on en.wikipedia by Dino at 03:20, 5 October 2004. Filename was Chicago-re2.jpeg. Original
artist: ?
File:Chicago_Fire_Landmark.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Chicago_Fire_Landmark.jpg Li-
cense: Public domain Contributors: I created this work entirely by myself. Original artist: t3xt (talk)
File:Chicago_Water_Tower_(October_2008).jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Chicago_Water_
Tower_%28October_2008%29.jpg License: CC BY-SA 2.0 Contributors: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zol87/2908223031/ Original
artist: Zol87 from Chicago, IL, USA
File:Chicago_in_Flames_by_Currier_&_Ives,_1871.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Chicago_
in_Flames_by_Currier_%26_Ives%2C_1871.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: Chicago Historical Society (ICHi-23436) Origi-
nal artist: Currier & Ives
File:Commons-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg License: PD Contributors: ? Origi-
nal artist: ?
File:Flag_of_Chicago,_Illinois.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Flag_of_Chicago%2C_Illinois.svg
License: Public domain Contributors: according to en:User:John Reid's (or T. E. Whalens) construction sheet (en:Talk:Municipal Flag of
Chicago) Original artist: cs:User:-xfi-
File:Great_Chicago_Fire_map_with_starting_point.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Great_
Chicago_Fire_map_with_starting_point.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: Original publication: 1869
Immediate source: 1869_chicago.jpg: davidrumsey.com Original artist: Unknown
(Life time: 1869)
File:Mrs_OLeary{}s_cow.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Mrs_OLeary%27s_cow.jpg License:
Public domain Contributors: Harpers Magazine, 1871 Original artist: Anonymous
File:Municipal_Flag_of_Chicago.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Flag_of_Chicago%2C_Illinois.
svg License: Public domain Contributors: according to en:User:John Reid's (or T. E. Whalens) construction sheet (en:Talk:Municipal Flag
of Chicago) Original artist: cs:User:-xfi-
File:PROCLAMATION,_Chicago_History_Museum.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/
PROCLAMATION%2C_Chicago_History_Museum.JPG License: Public domain Contributors: Chicago History Museum Original artist:
City of Chicago
File:People_escaping_the_Chicago_Fire_fleeing_into_Lincoln_park_1871.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
commons/0/03/People_escaping_the_Chicago_Fire_fleeing_into_Lincoln_park_1871.jpg License: CC0 Contributors: Own work Origi-
nal artist: victorgrigas
File:Pre_fire_house_in_Chicago_on_Fullerton.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Pre_fire_house_
in_Chicago_on_Fullerton.jpg License: CC BY 4.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: victorgrigas
File:Pre_fire_house_in_Chicago_on_Fullerton__2.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Pre_fire_
house_in_Chicago_on_Fullerton_2.jpg License: CC BY 4.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: victorgrigas
File:Relief_for_the_destitute,_Chicago_History_Museum.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/
Relief_for_the_destitute%2C_Chicago_History_Museum.JPG License: Public domain Contributors: Chicago History Museum Original
artist: City of Chicago
File:Seal_of_Chicago,_Illinois.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Seal_of_Chicago%2C_Illinois.png
License: Public domain Contributors: US gov Original artist: http://www.chicagob2b.net/
File:Site_of_the_Origin_of_the_Chicago_Fire_4.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Site_of_the_
Origin_of_the_Chicago_Fire_4.JPG License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Thshriver
File:To_the_Homeless_of_the_Chicago_Fire,_Chicago_History_Museum.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
commons/1/1a/To_the_Homeless_of_the_Chicago_Fire%2C_Chicago_History_Museum.JPG License: Public domain Contributors:
Chicago History Museum Original artist: City of Chicago

13.3 Content license

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