Great Chicago Fire facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Great Chicago Fire
Artist's rendering of the fire, by Currier and Ives; the view faces northeast across the Randolph Street Bridge
Location	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Statistics
Cost	$222 million (1871 USD) (approx. $4.7 billion in 2020)
Date(s)	October 8, 1871 (1871-10-08) – October 10, 1871 (1871-10-10)
Burned area	2,112 acres (8.55 km2)
Cause	Unknown
Buildings destroyed	17,500 buildings
Deaths	300 (estimate)

The Great Chicago Fire was a large fire that started on Sunday October 8, 1871 in Chicago, Illinois, United States.

The second red star of the Chicago flag represents the fire.

When Did It Happen?

The fire started on October 8, 1871, and it burned until October 10, 1871. That's almost three whole days of fire!

How Did It Start?

O'Leary and her cow

Nobody knows for sure how the fire started. But the most popular story is that it began in a barn owned by the O'Leary family. The story says that Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over a lantern, which started the fire. But the O'Leary family always said they didn't do it, and some people think the story isn't true.

Some people think that some men were gambling in the barn and knocked over a lantern. Other people even think that the fire might have been caused by a meteor shower! But the real cause of the fire is still a mystery.

Why Did It Spread So Quickly?

Even though we don't know exactly how the fire started, we do know why it spread so quickly:

• Lots of Wood: Most of the buildings in Chicago were made of wood. That means they were easy to catch fire and burn.
• Dry Weather: It hadn't rained much in Chicago for a long time before the fire. This made everything extra dry and easy to burn. From July 4 to October 9, Chicago only got 1 inch (25 mm) of rain.
• Strong Winds: The wind was blowing hard from the southwest, which helped the fire spread quickly from building to building.
• Fire Whirls: The fire created tornado-like effects that drove flaming debris high and far.

How Did the Fire Spread?

The fire started in a neighborhood southwest of the city center. At first, firefighters were sent to the wrong place because of a mistake. This gave the fire time to grow bigger.

When the firefighters finally arrived, the fire had already spread to nearby buildings. The firefighters hoped that the Chicago River would stop the fire from spreading, but there were lots of lumber yards, warehouses, and coal yards along the river. These were full of things that could burn, so the fire jumped across the river.

The fire then spread to the heart of the city, and people started to panic. The mayor, Roswell B. Mason, asked nearby towns for help. The fire even burned down the courthouse, and the big bell in the courthouse tower crashed to the ground.

The fire jumped the river a second time and started burning on the city's north side. Then, the city's waterworks caught fire and was destroyed. This meant that the firefighters didn't have any water to put out the fire!

Finally, late in the evening of October 9, it started to rain. The rain helped to put out the fire, but by then, it had already burned a large part of the city.

How Much Damage Did It Cause?

The Great Chicago Fire caused a lot of damage:

• About 300 people died in the fire. It was hard to count exactly because some people were never found.
• The fire destroyed over 17,000 buildings, including homes, businesses, and important buildings like the courthouse.
• More than 100,000 people lost their homes in the fire.
• The fire caused $222 million in property damage. That's like billions of dollars today!
• The fire burned an area of about 3.3 square miles (9 square kilometers).

What Happened After the Fire?

Even though the fire caused a lot of damage, the people of Chicago didn't give up. They started to rebuild the city right away.

People from all over the country and even from other countries sent money, food, clothing, and other supplies to help the people of Chicago. To keep order, the city was put under martial law for two weeks. General Philip H. Sheridan was in charge, and he used soldiers to protect the city from looting and violence.

The city government made new rules about how buildings should be built. These rules made sure that buildings were safer and less likely to catch fire.

The United Kingdom donated books to help start a free public library in Chicago. This was a great way to help people learn and rebuild their lives.

Business owners and land speculators quickly started rebuilding the city. The first load of lumber for rebuilding was delivered the day the last burning building was extinguished.

What Buildings Survived?

Even though the fire destroyed most of the city, a few buildings survived:

• St. Michael's Church: This church was damaged in the fire, but the outside walls survived, and the church was rebuilt.
• Chicago Water Tower: This tower was also damaged, but it survived and is still standing today.
• Chicago Avenue Pumping Station: This building was next to the Water Tower and also survived.
• Police Constable Bellinger's cottage
• 2323 and 2339 North Cleveland Avenue
• St. James Cathedral: The bell tower of this cathedral survived the fire and was used in the rebuilt church.

What Lessons Did People Learn?

The Great Chicago Fire taught people some important lessons:

• Build Safer Buildings: People learned that it's important to build buildings that are less likely to catch fire.
• Have a Good Fire Department: People realized that it's important to have a well-trained and well-equipped fire department.
• Help Each Other: People learned that it's important to help each other in times of trouble.

How Is the Fire Remembered Today?

The Great Chicago Fire is still remembered today in many ways:

• The Chicago Fire Academy, where firefighters are trained, is built on the land where the O'Leary's barn used to be.
• A sculpture called "Pillar of Fire" stands at the spot where the fire is believed to have started.
• One of the stars on the flag of Chicago represents the Great Chicago Fire.
• Chicago has a professional soccer team called the Chicago Fire.
• There are many books and movies about the Great Chicago Fire.

Panorama of damage

Attributed to George N. Barnard

Timeline

• October 8, 1871 - A fire begins around 9:00 p.m. near a small farm on 137 DeKoven St.
• October 9, 1871 - The fires continue burning.
• October 10, 1871 - The fires are finally extinguished in the early morning hours. President Grant orders donations to be shipped into the city.
• October 11, 1871 - A myth that the O’Leary cow caused the fire is circulated in the New-York Tribune. The city of Chicago is placed under martial law.
• October 12, 1871 - Business is able to partially resume.
• October 17, 1871 - Temporary residences are built, but 100,000 people remain homeless.
• October 19, 1871 - A writer for the Nashville Union largely discredits the Catherine O’Leary story after an interview with her.
• November 11, 1871 - The police and fire commissioner begin an investigation into Ms. O’Leary.

Images for kids

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  1871 Chicago view before the 'Great Conflagration'

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  The cottage of Catherine and Patrick O'Leary, 137 (now 558) W. DeKoven St. As this view suggests, the neighborhood was congested with mean wooden buildings and a variety of industry, a condition which helped to spread the fire of 1871 as rapidly as it did. A strong wind blowing towards the northeast spared the O'Leary cottage and the buildings seen here to its west. From a stereoptican view by A.H. Abbott, Photographer, whose studio at 976 (now 2201) N. Clark Street was consumed by the flames.

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  1869 map of Chicago, altered to show the area destroyed by the fire (location of O'Leary's barn indicated by red dot)

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  Aftermath of the fire, corner of Dearborn and Monroe Streets, 1871

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  General Philip H. Sheridan, who saved Chicago three times: the Great Fire in October 1871, when he used explosives to stop the spread; again after the Great Fire, protecting the city; and lastly in 1877 during the "communist riots", riding in from 1,000 miles away to restore order.

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  Chicago Tribune editorial

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  More than 20 years after the Great Fire, 'The World Columbian Exposition of 1893', known as the 'White City', for being lit up with newly invented light bulbs and electric power.

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  A pre-fire house in Chicago on Cleveland Avenue (photographed in 2016)

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  1871 illustration from Harper's Magazine depicting Mrs. O'Leary milking the cow

See also

In Spanish: Gran incendio de Chicago para niños