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Great Chicago Fire:
Mrs. O'Leary and the cow
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Cause of the Great Chicago Fire
Legend
tells that the cause of the Great Chicago Fire in the
early morning of
October, 1871 was due
to an accident involving a woman called Mrs.
O'Leary and a cow.
The Legend of the Cow
This famous
legend tells that Mrs. O'Leary went to the barn in the
early morning, when it was still dark, to milk her cow.
Mrs. O'Leary carried a lighted kerosene lamp - and the
cow kicked over the lamp. The barn was soon ablaze and a
tempestuous gale carried the burning sparks from one
house to another across the Windy City. The Great fire
went on spreading all that day and night and continued
into the next day. Nearly $200 million dollars worth of
property was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire and
homes of nearly 100,000 people were burned down.
Great Chicago Fire History for kids: Cause of the Great Chicago Fire
Legend
tells that the cause of the Great Chicago Fire was due to Mrs.
O'Leary, the lighted kerosene lamp and the cow. However,
following the blaze an investigation was held in November and
December of 1871 by the Chicago Board of Police and Fire
Commissioners - but they were unable to determine the exact
cause. The enquiry involved interviewing over 50 people but the
conclusion of the report was that report that "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." The main people believed to be involved in the cause
of the Great Chicago Fire were Mrs. Catherine O'Leary, an Irish
immigrant, and her husband Patrick "Peg Leg" Sullivan who both
strenuously denied causing the blaze. Another person involved
was Dennis Regan, a neighbor, who tried to put the fire out with
Daniel Sullivan.
Ironically the O’Leary
property survived the blaze. In
1997, the Chicago City Council passed a resolution acquitting
Catherine O’Leary and her cow.
Great Chicago Fire Facts for kids
Interesting Great Fire facts for kids are detailed below. The history of Great Fire of 1871 is told in a factual sequence consisting of
a series of short facts providing a simple method of relating the
history and events of the Great Fire of 1871.
Great
Chicago Fire
Facts for kids
Great Chicago Fire
Fact 1: The blaze raged
across the city from October 8, 1871 to October 10, 1871
Great Chicago Fire
Fact 2: The blaze began in a
barn located on the property of Patrick and Catherine
O’Leary at 137 DeKoven Street on the southwest side of
the city.
Great Chicago Fire
Fact 3: The blaze spread
across an area of about 4 miles (6 km) long and almost a
mile wide
Great Chicago Fire
Fact 4: A gale was blowing
across the "Windy City" when the blaze began
Great Chicago Fire
Fact 5: The terrible blaze
destroyed 17,000 structures, including the
business district of the city, damages were estimated at
$200 million dollars.
Great Chicago Fire
Fact 6: An estimated 300
people were killed in the blaze and over 100,000 people
were left homeless.
Great Chicago Fire
Fact 7: It was one of the
largest U.S. disasters of the 19th century. On the same
day that the Great Chicago Fire began, another terrible
fire broke out in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, in which nearly
1,000 people perished.
Great Chicago Fire
Fact 8: At the time of the
blaze the population of the city was approximately
324,000, it was the second largest city in the United
States. Nearly one third of the people were left
homeless.
Great Chicago Fire
Fact 9: The blaze caused
pandemonium and there were many instances of theft and
looting in the city.
Great Chicago Fire
Fact 10: The chaos and crime
in the Windy City resulted in martial law being declared
on October 11, 1871 which was not lifted several weeks
later.
Continued...
Great
Chicago Fire
Facts for kids
Great Chicago Fire Facts for kids
Interesting history and the 1871 Great Fire Facts for kids are
continued below.
Great
Chicago Fire
Facts for kids
Great Chicago Fire
Fact 11: The Fire Department
worked tirelessly to douse the flames and were helped by
a rain on the last day of the blaze
Great Chicago Fire
Fact 12: The Chicago Fire
Department of 1871 employed just 185 firefighters with
only 17 horse-drawn steam engines to protect the whole
city
Great Chicago Fire
Fact 13: The fire took such a
hold on the city due to an error by the watchman,
Matthias Schaffer. The fire fighters were initially sent
to the wrong location which allowed the blaze to grow
unchecked
Great Chicago Fire
Fact 14: The blaze and windy
conditions produced a terrifying fire whirl (aka a fire
devil, fire tornado, or firenado) which added to the
panic in the city.
Great Chicago Fire
Fact 15: In November and
December of 1871 the Board of Police and Fire
Commissioners held an inquiry.
Great Chicago Fire
Fact 16: The report produced
by the Board of Police and Fire Commissioners was
inclusive
Great Chicago Fire
Fact 17: The legend of the cow
started in the Chicago Evening Journal of October 9,
1871 when an article was printed claiming that the fire
was caused by "a cow kicking over a lamp in a stable in
which a woman was milking."
Great Chicago Fire
Fact 18: The cow and kerosene
lamp story puts the blame on Catherine O’Leary. She was
the perfect scapegoat for the cause of the blaze because
she was a poor, Irish Catholic immigrant.
Great Chicago Fire
Fact 19:
In 1997, the Chicago City
Council passed a resolution acquitting Catherine O’Leary
and her cow.
Great Chicago Fire
Fact 20: The disastrous blaze
will never be forgotten as the modern training academy
of the Chicago Fire Dept. is located on the site of the
O’Leary property where the Great Chicago Fire began.
Great
Chicago Fire
Facts for kids
Great Chicago Fire - President Ulysses Grant Video
The article on the Great Chicago Fire provides an overview of one of the Important issues of his presidential term in office. The following
Ulysses Grant video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 18th American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1869 to March 4, 1877.
Great Chicago Fire
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Ulysses Grant Presidency from March 4, 1869 to March 4, 1877
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Foreign & Domestic
policies of President Ulysses Grant
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the 1871 blaze for schools,
homework, kids and children
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