On Sunday evening, October 8, 1871, just after nine o’clock, a fire broke out in the barn behind the home of Patrick and Catherine O’Leary at 13 DeKoven Street. The cause is unknown, though an O’Leary cow often gets credit. A dry summer had left the wooden city parched and vulnerable, and the flames quickly spread east and north, consuming everything in their path. Firefighters could do little more than watch and pray. After two days, rain began to fall and the fire died out. At least three hundred people were dead, 100,000 people were homeless, and $200 million worth of property had been destroyed. The entire central business district had been leveled. As Chicago’s citizens took stock of their ruined city, many saw the destruction as an opportunity. Despite having suffered the largest urban fire in US history, Chicago would rise magnificently from the ashes. A year after the fire, almost $40 million had been invested in new construction, turning what had been a hastily built, haphazardly developed boomtown into a modern, well-planned city center. The successful reconstruction exemplified Chicago’s “I Will” spirit and spread the city’s unique and extraordinary reputation worldwide. Published with the Chicago History Museum. Thirty color, black-and-white, and sepia tone reproductions. Oversized postcards measure 6 1/2 x 4 3/4 in. ISBN 978-0-7649-3902-0. |
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