Great Chicago Fire

The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from October 8 to October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying several square miles in Chicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S. disasters of the nineteenth century, the rebuilding that began almost immediately spurred Chicago's development into one of the United States's most populous and economically important cities.

Damage and casualties

Once the fire was extinguished, the smoldering remains were too hot for a survey of the damage to be completed for several days. Eventually it was determined that the fire destroyed an area about four miles (6 km) long and averaging 3/4 mile (1 km) wide, encompassing more than 2,000 acres (8 km²). This area included more than 73 miles (120 km) of roads, 120 miles (190 km) of sidewalk, 2,000 lampposts, 17,500 buildings, and from $200 to $400 million in property, about a third of the city's valuation. Out of 300,000 inhabitants, 100,000 were left homeless. The fire was said by local newspapers to be so fierce that it surpassed the damage done by Napoleon's siege of Moscow in 1812. Remarkably, some buildings did survive the fire, such as the then-new Chicago Water Tower, which remains today as an unofficial memorial to the fire's destructive power. It was one of only five public buildings spared by the flames within the disaster zone; another was Holy Family Church, the Roman Catholic congregation of the O'Leary family.

Related Topics:
Napoleon - Moscow - 1812 - Chicago Water Tower - Roman Catholic

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After the fire, 125 bodies were recovered. Final estimates of the fatalities ranged from 200-300, considered a small number for such a large fire. In later years, other disasters in the city would claim more lives: 571 died in the Iroquois Theater fire in 1903, and in 1915, 835 died in the sinking of the Eastland excursion boat in the Chicago river. Yet the Great Chicago Fire remains Chicago's most well-known disaster, for the magnitude of the destruction and the city's subsequent recovery and growth.

Related Topics:
Iroquois Theater - Eastland

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Land speculators, such as Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard, and business owners quickly set about rebuilding the city. Donations of money, food, clothing and furnishings arrived quickly from across the nation. The first load of lumber for rebuilding was delivered the day the last burning building was extinguished. Only 22 years later, Chicago hosted more than 21 million visitors during the World Columbian Exposition.

Related Topics:
Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard - World Columbian Exposition

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