In 1997, the Chicago City Council passed a resolution exonerating Catherine O’Leary, an Irish immigrant who died in 1895, and her cow. Today, the Chicago Fire Department training academy is located on the site of the O’Leary property where the Great Chicago Fire started. (In America, only New York City had a larger population at the time.) In 1893, Chicago hosted the World’s Columbian Exposition, a tourist attraction visited by some 27.5 million people. By 1890, the city was a major economic and transportation hub with an estimated population of more than 1 million people. At the time of the fire, Chicago’s population was approximately 324,000 within nine years, there were some 500,000 Chicagoans. Reconstruction efforts began quickly and spurred great economic development and population growth, as architects laid the foundation for a modern city featuring the world’s first skyscrapers. His victory might also be attributable to the fact that most of the city’s voting records were destroyed in the fire, so it was next to impossible to keep people from voting more than once.ĭespite the fire’s devastation, much of Chicago’s physical infrastructure, including its transportation systems, remained intact. The month after the fire, Joseph Medill (1823-99) was elected mayor after promising to institute stricter building and fire codes, a pledge that may have helped him win the office. Boden, Ritter, Herrmann and Kidd work together to take down a local politician responsible for a chemical fire. Martial law was lifted several weeks later. Companies of soldiers were summoned to Chicago and martial law was declared on October 11, ending three days of chaos. Boden, Ritter, Herrmann and Kidd work together to take down a local politician responsible for a chemical fire. The disaster prompted an outbreak of looting and lawlessness. Watch the latest episodes of Chicago Fire or get episode details on NBC.com. More than 17,000 structures were destroyed and damages were estimated at $200 million. The Great Chicago Fire left an estimated 300 people dead and 100,000 others homeless. The fire burned wildly throughout the following day, finally coming under control on October 10, when rain gave a needed boost to firefighting efforts. What is known is that the fire quickly grew out of control and moved rapidly north and east toward the city center.ĭid you know? The same day the Great Chicago Fire began, a fire broke out in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, in which more than 1,000 people perished. Legend holds that the blaze started when the family’s cow knocked over a lighted lantern however, Catherine O’Leary denied this charge, and the true cause of the fire has never been determined. The Great Chicago Fire began on the night of October 8, in or around a barn located on the property of Patrick and Catherine O’Leary at 137 DeKoven Street on the city’s southwest side. In October 1871, dry weather and an abundance of wooden buildings, streets and sidewalks made Chicago vulnerable to fire.
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