The Great Chicago Fire of 1871
From this……..to this…
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
How did the Great Chicago
Fire of 1871 lead to the
remodeling and reorganization
of society in Chicago and
other American cities?
Vocabulary
1. STIFLING (adjective) – suffocating or
oppressively close
2. AMBLED (verb) - to go at a slow, easy pace;
stroll; saunter
3. GUSTING (verb) – sudden, strong blast of
wind; blowing powerfully
4. SCUTTLED (verb) – a short, sudden run
5. FIDDLE (adjective) – in the text, “fiddle
music” means creative music
Vocabulary
6. FIERCELY (adverb) - menacingly wild,
savage, or hostile
7. EMBERS (noun) - a small live piece of coal,
wood, etc., as in a dying fire.
8. SINGED (VERB) - to burn the ends of something;
scorch
9. ENGULFED (verb) – to plunge or immerse
completely; envelop, bury
10. SMOLDER (VERB) - dense smoke resulting
from slow combustion; “a smoldering fire”.
Vocabulary
11. ABRUPTLY (ADVERB) – quickly or suddenly
12. BOASTED (verb) - to speak with pride
13. ORNATELY (adverb) – elaborate or
embellished; flashy
14. FLAMMABLE (noun) – easily set on fire
15. INTERSPERSED (verb) - to scatter here and
there or place in random areas.
Vocabulary
16. STATELY (adjective) elegant or majestic
17. COMBUSTIBLE (adjective) capable of
catching fire
18. UNRELENTING (adjective) not yielding, not
easily given in
19. CONFLAGRATION (noun) a raging, disastrous
fire
Background
Chicago before the fire:
Much of this population growth
occurred because trains were
able to bring large numbers of
immigrants to Chicago from
the East.
At the end of the Civil War,
Chicago’s population had
reached 300,000.
This rapid growth led to
quick and sloppy construction
of businesses and homes.
Many buildings were constructed of wood and were
built too close together.
Background
Leading up to the Great Chicago Fire:
Chicago had already had a few large fires
in 1839, 1849, and 1857.
October of 1871 had been warmer and
dryer than past Chicago October’s.
The year of the fire, the entire city of
Chicago only had 185 fire fighters.
Background
Chicago right before the fire:
Chicago fire fighters had been complaining to the city
that their equipment was inadequate and that they
didn’t have enough men.
Many of these fire fighters were tired from fighting a
large fire October 7th (the day before the Great Fire)
that had demolished four blocks of the city.
The city of Chicago had experienced 20 small fires in
the week before the Great Fire.
The Great Chicago Fire
The fire begins:
The fire began on October 8th, 1871, between
about 8:30 and 10:00pm.
The fire started in a barn owned by the
O’Leary family that was located between
De Koven Street and Jefferson Street.
A combination of miscommunication and
inadequate technology caused problems from the
beginning of the fire.
The Great Chicago Fire
The fire began to spread quickly as it
reached the Chicago River which was
filled with oil and debris from nearby
factories.
Hard blowing winds from the
southwest forced the fire towards
the north and northeast parts of the
city.
In the first few hours of October
9th, the fire devastated a lowerclass Irish neighborhood known as
Conley’s Patch.
At day break, as the fire continued
to spread north, more and more METAPHOR: A comparison without
using the words “like” or “as”
buildings were consumed.
The Great Chicago Fire
The fire continued north consuming, or at least
damaging, almost every building in its path.
Many people by this point were completely
exhausted from running, often with personal
items, from place to place.
Finally, on the night of October 9th, rain began
to fall on Chicago.
Before October 9th had ended, the fire was
under control.
Facts about the Fire
The Aftermath:
Many important buildings,
such as the City
Courthouse, burned down.
The fire burned 3½ square
miles of the city.
Around 17,500 buildings
were damaged or burned
to the ground.
More than 70 miles of
streets were burned
Facts about the Fire
The fire caused an
estimated $200
million of damage.
About 100,000
people were left
homeless.
Although the exact
number of deaths is
unknown, the death
toll is estimated to
be between 120300 people.
• Chicago On Fire: A Chronological Time Line of
the Deadly 16 Hours
Let’s look at an Interactive Map and
determine how the Fire Traveled so
Quickly
Weather Channel’s Understanding of
How the Fire Started
• The Weather Channel: Great Chicago
Fire of 1871
Why was the Great Chicago Fire So
Bad?
The Great Chicago Fire was a disaster for many
reasons. In the response to the fire, many things
were working against the city of Chicago:
A watchman who first saw the fire,
mistakenly told the telegraph dispatcher
the wrong streets at which the fire
began.
When the error was recognized, the
dispatcher didn’t change the message he
had received from the watchman.
Why was the Great Chicago Fire
So Bad?
Also adding to the problem was a faulty firealarm box. The city of Chicago had installed
the boxes so that people could immediately
inform fire fighters of a fire.
Unfortunately, the fire-alarm that a man
close to the fire tried to use wouldn’t
activate.
When the fire fighters did reach the fire, they
were so tired from fighting the night before
they were unable to get a good jump on the
fire.
The Great Chicago Fire- Myths vs. Facts
The most widely known explanation of how the Great Chicago
Fire began is the story of the O'Leary cow. The story says that
the fire began when a cow owned by Mr. and Mrs. O’Leary
kicked over a lantern in the O’Leary barn. Many believed this
explanation because the fire did start in the barn behind the
O’Leary house. However, this story is not true and in 1997 the
city of Chicago denounced it as myth. However, to this day,
many still think a cow is to blame.
The Great Chicago Fire- Myths vs. Facts
There are many other hypotheses (guesses) as to how the fire
began. The city of Chicago talked with different Chicagoans to
figure out who started the fire. Many of the hypotheses are
based on conflicting statements given during the investigation
into the fire.
Some believe a man who lived close to the
O’Leary’s, Daniel Sullivan, began the fire by
accident and didn’t want to be blamed for it.
Others believe the fire was the fault of
another man who lived in the neighborhood,
Dennis Regan.
Still others think that a meteor shower is to
blame
The Great Chicago Fire- Myths vs. Facts
The Truth:
• Although the city talked with a large number of Chicago
residents and took extensive notes on everyone’s explanations, it
was never established who started the fire.
• Those involved in the investigation concluded, “whether it
originated from a spark blown from a chimney on that windy
night, or was set on fire by human agency, we are unable to
determine.”
Physical Changes After the Fire
 Soon, Chicago’s streets were changed. Because
Chicago had originally been built upon wet land,
many of the early roads were made of wood.
At the time, wood seemed like the smartest
material to use to keep the city above the wet
terrain. However, after the Great Fire, roads
were no longer created of wood due to their
flammable nature.
Other cities took note of the Chicago change and
by the 1900s many major cities in America had
steered away from wooden streets.
Eyewitness Accounts
“We could see across the river at the cross streets that where yesterday was a populous
city was now a mass of smoking ruins. All the way round we encountered thousands of
people; but the excitement had given way to a terrible grief and desolation.”
- Alexander Frear (New York alderman)
“…the immense piles of lumber on the south of us were all afire…. Dense
clouds of smoke and cinder rolled over and enveloped us, and it seemed
almost impossible to breathe….”
- Lambert Tree (Cook County Circuit Court Judge)
“There was a strip of fire between two and three miles long, and a mile wide,
hurried along by a wind, sweeping through the business part of this city…. It was a
grand sight, and yet an awful one.”
- William Gallagher (Student studying in Chicago)
The End Results
What did Chicago, and the rest of the
country, learn from the fire?:
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 taught
America many useful lessons. On the
surface, the fire helped lead to structural
adjustments and new methods of fire
safety.
The fire also helped lead to a number of
local political changes as well. However, on a
deeper level, the fire taught the public to
challenge what is accepted.
Great Website That Includes Numerous
Pictures and Interviews with those that were
Present on that Night
• The Great Chicago Fire and the Web of
Memory
• http://greatchicagofire.org/rescue-andrelief
Study Guide Questions
• You MUST include specific textual
evidence to support your response.
Include the page and paragraph
number.
1. What mood does the author create in
paragraphs 1-3?
Use specific words from the text to support your response.
MOOD = the feeling or feeling the reader gets from the story.
• ANSWER:
– The author creates a calm, and relaxed mood. This
contrasts greatly with what we know will happen next.
• TEXTUAL EVIDENCE:
– We see evidence of this in the text when it states, “Sullivan
AMBLED down the stretch of land between the O’ Learys’
and their neighbor”. This indicates he was strolling or
sauntering through the street. The author also mentions,
“the sound of laughter and FIDDLE music drifted through
the night” indicating there was a party taking place.
2. What was the weather like on the day of the Great Fire?
Why does the author choose to emphasize this in the first
few paragraphs?
• ANSWER:
– The weather was fierce. The wind was “gusting
wildly” and leaves were blown all over the street.
The author emphasizes the weather to indicate
how it will affect the path of the fire.
• TEXTUAL EVIDENCE:
– We see evidence of this in paragraph three, “The
wind coming off the prairie had been strong all
day, sometimes GUSTING wildly, and leaves
SCUTTLED along the streets”.
3. What kind of people lived in this area of Chicago
at the time? What picture (image) does the author
paint of this town?
• ANSWER:
– This was a middle-class/lower class neighborhood. Using details
like having neighbors stop by to talk to each other, a party to
celebrate a recently arrived relative, and the neighbors trying to
save the O’Leary animals, Murphy presents a picture (or an
image) of an area where people are friendly and care about each
other.
• TEXTUAL EVIDENCE:
– We can infer that this is a middle-class/lower class neighborhood
because we discover Patrick O’Leary was a “laborer” and
Catherine milked cows and sold that milk for income. We also see
evidence of this united neighborhood when Murphy states a party
was taking place “[…] to celebrate the arrival of a relative from
Ireland. Another neighbor, Dennis Rogan, dropped by” to visit
the O’Leary’s as well.
4. In paragraph 4, Sullivan has to shout, “FIRE!”
What does this tell us about the technology in
Chicago at the time?
• ANSWER:
– They had no telephones or automatic fire alarms
that would allow someone to quickly get a hold
of the fire department.
• WHAT ADDITIONAL INSIGHT COULD YOU OFFER TO
THIS RESPONSE?
– Perhaps if the fire took place at another time in
history the end results would not be as tragic.
Today we have fire alarms, telephones, walkietalkies that can communicate miles in distance
5. What is the significance of the hay in the top of
the barn? Why would the author want to draw
attention to that detail? {Paragraph 5}
• ANSWER:
– The author wants to draw our attention to the hay
in the top of the barn to remind us that straw
burns easily, and it’s light enough to blow in the
wind that Murphy describes, carrying the fire to
any nearby structures.
• WHAT ADDITIONAL INSIGHT COULD YOU OFFER TO THIS
RESPONSE?
– PERHAPS MURPHY IS ONCE AGAIN TRYING TO PAINT A
PICTURE OF ALL OF THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS THAT
CAUSED THE FIRE TO SPREAD SO QUICKLY AND
VIOLENTLY.
6. The author includes a number of details about how
Sullivan acts. Look at each action.
Additional Insight: What do the details suggest about
Sullivan? {Paragraph 6-7}
• ANSWER:
– He goes into the fire, unties the animals,
falls and gets his leg caught, and still
hops to the door. The details together
suggest that Sullivan is a very strong,
stubborn man and that he’s concerned
about doing the right thing.
7. In paragraph 9, what evidence does the author give
to back up his description of Chicago as a city “ready
to burn”?
• ANSWER:
– Many of the structures in the city were constructed of wood—
even those that didn’t appear to be.
• TEXTUAL EVIDENCE: In paragraph 9, Murphy emphasizes, “two-thirds
of all these structures were made entirely of wood. Many of the
remaining buildings (even the ones proclaimed to be “fireproof”)
looked solid, but were actually jerrybuilt affairs; the stone or brick
exteriors hid wooden frames and floors, all topped with highly
FLAMMABLE tar or shingle roofs.” It became a custom to disguise
wood as stone because it was so frequently used.
• ADDITIONAL INSIGHT:
– The author is yet again trying to emphasize how poorly built
Chicago was and how it attributed to the fire spreading so
quickly.
8. The author provides a list of businesses for
the middle class in paragraph 10. What do these
businesses have in common?
• ANSWER:
– All of these businesses are “fire hazards” and
burn both quickly and dangerously. Lumber,
gas, furniture, and coal are all primary sources
of fuel for a fire. Flour burns, paint gives off
fumes as it burns, and warehouses might have
more flammable material in them.
• TEXTUAL EVIDENCE:
– Murphy states that most materials were “[…] made
of fast-burning wood, naturally”.
9. How are the dangers in the wealthier
neighborhoods different OR similar to the fire risks
for those who lived in poorer areas?
• ANSWER:
– The wealthy areas did not have dangerous
businesses, and the buildings were more likely
to be built out of stone or brick. However,
buildings still had wood interiors, were still
standing close together and were surrounded
by other flammable structures.
• TEXTUAL EVIDENCE:
– Text choices from Paragraph 11 and 12
10. What pattern is starting to emerge when you look
at how many fires break out each year from 1863 to
1870? What does this suggest about what people
should have known in 1871?
• ANSWER:
–The number of fires is growing at an
alarming rate. The people in the city
should have seen that with the
number of fires growing so fast that
the chances of a truly large fire were
growing every day.
Number of Fires
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870
11. The author previously had personified the fire, describing it as
“struggling to break free” and “greet[ing] Sullivan”, and now as
having “a thousand yellow-orange fingers” in paragraph 14. What is
the author trying to emphasize through the use of personification?
• ANSWER:
–The author wants to suggest that the
fire has a life of its own, and the
people caught in the fire feel almost
as if the fire is chasing them. The fire
has become not just a physical force,
but an enemy to fight.
Suspect 1: Mrs. Catherine O’Leary
• Mrs. Catherine O’Leary: On Sunday evening,
October 8, 1871, the Chicago Fire did indeed start
in the barn that I share with Mr. and Mrs. Patrick.
The fire spared my home but much of the rest of
Chicago had been burned to the ground. Before
the fire died out in the early morning of Tuesday,
October 10, it had cut a path through Chicago
approximately three and one-third square miles in
size. Property valued at 192 million dollars was
destroyed, 100,000 people were left homeless, and
300 people lost their lives. I realize that people
say that my cow kicked over a lantern in the barn
and this is what started the fire.
Who do you think is responsible for
starting the fire? Let’s examine the
evidence with our partners.
• Read Mrs. O’Leary’s testimony when she
was interviewed by Board of Police and Fire
Commissioners. Do you think she is to
blame?
• Mrs.O'Leary's Testimony Link
Is Mrs. O’Leary to blame for Starting
the Fire?
ANSWER:
TEXTUAL EVIDENCE:
Suspect 2-Dennis Regan
(Sullivan’s Accomplice):
• My name is Dennis Regan I live at 112 De
Koven Street, about a block away from the
O'Learys. I know that I am believed to be
Daniel “Peg Leg” Sullivan’s accomplice to
starting the fire. While in bed I heard one of
the neighbors say that the O'Leary barn was
on fire. I jumped out of bed, ran to their
home, and attempted to save their wagon
and put out the fire. I did not start it.
Was Dennis Regan an Accomplice?
{His side of the story.}
• Dennis Regan lived at 112 DeKoven Street, about a block
away from the O'Learys. He testified that while in bed he
heard one of the neighbors (McLaughlin) say that the
O'Leary barn was on fire. He jumped out of bed, ran to their
home, and attempted to save their wagon and put out the
fire.
• In order to give credit to Regan's testimony, this neighbor
would have had to discover the fire even before the
O'Learys did. This seems highly unlikely.
• Also, Regan stated at the interview that while passing the
McLauglin home he heard music. Yes, there was music
during the McLauglin party--but Mrs. McLaughlin testified
that the fire started after the music stopped.
Was Dennis Regan an Accomplice?
• As noted earlier, at the time the fire broke out, there was no
reason for anyone to believe that it would be of any great
consequence. Therefore, the person responsible for the
fire would most likely, upon identifying the danger of the
fire, attempt to extinguish the fire and save the O'Leary
animals and property--this Sullivan and Regan did.
• Failing that, this person would next alert the O'Learys--this
Sullivan and Regan did. Because of their incriminating
behavior, and because of their equally incriminating
testimony, it seems reasonable to ASSUME that Daniel
"Peg Leg" Sullivan and Dennis Regan--and not Mrs.
O'Leary and her cow--may have been responsible for the
Great Chicago Fire.
Is Dennis Regan to blame for Starting
the Fire?
ANSWER:
TEXTUAL EVIDENCE:
Suspect 3: Daniel “Peg Leg”
Sullivan
• My name is Daniel "Peg Leg" Sullivan. I was
a neighbor to the O'Learys. Yes, I have one
wooden leg. I had gone to visit the O'Learys
around 8 p.m. and Mrs. O'Leary was in bed.
After my visit, I started for home. On the
way, I paused at the curb in front of William
White's home to enjoy my pipe. It was at that
moment that I spotted the fire at the
O'Learys and ran 193 feet for help, crying
"Fire!"
Was Daniel "Peg Leg" Sullivan the Real
Culprit?
• It is unlikely that Sullivan, in his attempt to extinguish the fire and
rescue the animals, would have had the time to run across the street to
the barn without being injured by the flames. The distance from where
Sullivan sat to the barn was approximately 193 feet. That is more than
one-half the length of a football field. Sullivan even testified at the
inquiry that he could not run very fast. How could Sullivan HOBBLE
193 feet into a burning barn that was full of hay and wood shavings,
struggle with animals, and eventually leave, without being injured?
• While Sullivan testified that he yelled "fire" as he ran, it seems doubtful
that this was the case. No one who testified ever said anything about
hearing his cries as he allegedly ran to the barn. October 8 was an
unseasonably warm day--by 4:00 p.m. the temperature had climbed to
79 degrees. Surely, then, the windows of the homes along DeKoven
Street would have been open that evening. Consequently, one would
think that if Sullivan had cried out, someone would have heard him.
Was Daniel "Peg Leg" Sullivan the Real
Culprit?
• HIS ALIBI= Claiming that he was sitting in front of White's house at the
time the fire started was that perfect explanation. As Sullivan lived
nearby, the fact that he was in the immediate area would arouse no
suspicion. He could not state that he was closer, in front of his own
home or the McLaughlin home, as anyone present at the McLaughlin
party could contradict him, stating that he was never seen in the area
that evening.
•
Mrs. McLaughlin's front porch overlooked De Koven Street; it would
not be unreasonable, during the course of the festivities, for someone
to step outside onto the porch for some fresh air, perhaps even walk
onto the sidewalk or street. Indeed, it appears from Mrs. McLaughlin's
testimony that at least three men left her home that evening. Sullivan
could not risk one of these men challenging his alibi.
Is Daniel Sullivan to blame for Starting
the Fire?
ANSWER:
TEXTUAL EVIDENCE: