Chicago Fire was a disaster that destroyed large areas of Chicago in 1871. The fire began on the Southwest Side of the city on the night of Oct. 8, 1871. By the time the fire died out more than 24 hours later, it had wiped out Chicago’s downtown area and most of the residential areas on the city’s North Side. It killed at least 300 people and destroyed millions of dollars worth of property. About 90,000 people, nearly one-third of the city’s population at the time, were left homeless.
In the months leading up to the disaster, the city had endured unusually dry weather, and its many wooden buildings had been involved in a number of smaller fires. The Chicago Fire began around 9 p.m. on October 8 in a barn on DeKoven Street. The barn was owned by Patrick and Catherine O’Leary. A popular story, unconfirmed by historians, proposes that Mrs. O’Leary’s cow started the blaze by kicking over a lantern.
The fire spread rapidly and overwhelmed firefighters’ efforts to contain it. Pushed by strong winds, it traveled north and east over the South Branch of the Chicago River and toward the commercial district of downtown. People seeking safety fled north to Lincoln Park and east to the waters of Lake Michigan. The fire consumed the city’s lakefront harbor and even toppled the brick buildings of the commercial district.
The heat of the flames, along with the strong winds, carried burning pieces of wood, called brands, across the main branch of the Chicago River in the early hours of October 9. The fire then continued north, burning thousands of homes, many of them owned by German and Scandinavian immigrants. By early October 10, rainfall helped extinguish the fire after it had reached the city’s northern limit.
Days after the disaster, city leaders declared their intentions to rebuild. Donations of money and supplies poured in from around the world. The opportunities to rebuild drew many outstanding architects to Chicago, and the city became known for its innovative architecture. The rebuilding period also brought in numerous workers, and the city’s population more than tripled between 1870 and 1890. In 1872, city officials established “fire limits”—boundaries within which new construction was to be made of brick or stone.
The Water Tower and Chicago Avenue Pumping Station, constructed in 1869, were among the few structures to survive the Chicago Fire. They stand as monuments to the fire’s victims and as symbols of the city’s ability to recover.
