Great Fire Essay, Research Paper

In 1871 a great fire killed 250 people, left 90,000 homeless, and destroyed about 10 sq km (about 4 sq mi) of central Chicago. On a Sunday night, October 8, 1871 at 137 De Koven Street, in the O’Leary barn The Great Fire would burn from Sunday to early Tuesday. The fire was fed by lusty prairie winds, cinders from a Saturday night blaze, and structures, even streets and sidewalks, built almost entirely of wood. The fire had consumed block after block of homes, businesses, and bodies, eventually leaving 100,000 people homeless. There was a party at the McLaughlins’ to celebrate the arrival of a relative from Ireland. The one-legged Sullivan stopped bye to visit his neighbors, the O’Learys’ but they were already in bed. Sullivan, at the party, left after fifteen minutes when he spotted a barn on fire. He yelled, “FIRE!” as loud as he could. This barnyard fire at the O’Leary’s house blazed and went into flames so fast that Sullivan barely had enough time to rescue the calf inside the barn. Chicago had 59,500 buildings including the Courthouse and the Tribune Building. The fire continued with a blaze. Early Tuesday the fire was put out with the help of firefighters and rainfall. No one really knows for sure how the fire started or who was the blame for this. The city was quickly rebuilt and continued its rapid growth.

Bibliography

read the book The Great Fire by Jim Murphy. Was a Historical Fiction.