Today in History

October 8, 1871

The Great Chicago Fire

One fine night when we were all in bed, Old Mrs. O'Leary left the light on in the shed...

The Great Chicago Fire burned from Sunday night on October 8 to early October 10, 1871. Legend has it that the fire started in a shed owned by Catherine O'Leary. However, at least some part of the legend attributing the source to a cow kicking over a fire lantern in the shed seems to have been a reporter's fabrication. The actual cause of the fire is, in fact, uncertain. The use of wood as a primary building material and a prevailing wind driving the fire to the north contributed to the fire's spread. When the city's water facility was burned, the fire fighters were without water. Finally, the fire burned itself out, aided by rain. Some 34 blocks were burned destroying millions in property value and leaving 90,000 homeless, almost a third of the city's population. Fatalities numbered between two and three hundred.

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