The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 | Free US History Documentary

Episode 74 - A Hot Time in the Old Town

On the night of October 8, 1871, after a summer with barely three inches of rain, a fire started behind a barn on Chicago's West Side and burned for more than thirty hours. It destroyed 18,000 buildings, killed about 300 people, and left 100,000 homeless in a city that only forty years earlier had been a settlement of a few hundred. This episode follows the fire from the tinderbox conditions and the exhausted fire department through the fire whirls, the failed waterworks, and the ruins, then the recovery: Sheridan's patrols, Joseph Medill's "Chicago shall rise again," a new Palmer House in two years, and a million people by 1890. It ends with the cow that never kicked the lantern.

Chicago was the city the railroads built, the hub where the cattle drives and the homesteaders' grain met the East. The men who kept order and came home to it were Civil War figures: Philip Sheridan and Ulysses S. Grant, feted at the rebuilt Palmer House in 1879. The O'Learys were part of the Irish Catholic immigration whose earlier story is told in Of Popery and Patriotism, and the immigrant wave that rebuilt and refilled the city is the subject of Avenue to the American Dream.

Key Takeaways

In the early 1830s Chicago was a frontier settlement of a few hundred residents. By the 1870s it was one of America's largest cities, the nation's leading rail center and the transfer point between the East and the West, promoted by its newspapers as the Queen of the West.
The fire began on the night of Sunday, October 8, 1871, and burned until the morning of Tuesday, October 10, more than 30 hours. Most of the city center was destroyed: banks, hotels, City Hall and the county courthouse, newspaper offices, and most churches.
It started in or near a barn behind 137 DeKoven Street on the West Side, on property owned by Irish Catholic immigrants Patrick and Catherine O'Leary. The story that Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over a lantern spread through a song, A Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight. She denied it for the rest of her life.
Chicago had received about 3.5 inches of rain between early July and October 9 and virtually none since September. The city was built largely of wood, including sidewalks and streets, and October 8 was in the 80s. A 16-hour Saturday Night Fire on October 7 had already worn out the department.
The fire department had about 185 firefighters and 17 horse-drawn steam engines for roughly 324,000 people. Strong southwest winds created fire whirls that threw burning debris ahead of the flames. The fire crossed the South Branch into downtown, then jumped the main stem to the North Side.
Burning timbers ignited the roof of the waterworks pumping station. The pumps failed, hydrant pressure was lost, and firefighting collapsed. About 3.3 to 3.5 square miles, roughly 2,100 acres, and close to 18,000 structures were destroyed, among them the Palmer House, open only thirteen days.
The Chicago Water Tower and a few other masonry buildings survived. The O'Leary cottage was spared because the wind carried the fire away from it; their barn was not. The fire ran out of dense fuel on the North Side and rain arrived early on October 10.
The estimated death toll is 300, likely higher because the heat destroyed remains. About 100,000 people, a third of the city, lost their homes. Damage was around 200 million dollars, several billion today. Mayor Roswell B. Mason put General Philip Sheridan in charge of keeping order while relief came from across the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Tribune editor Joseph Medill wrote in the first editorial after the fire that Chicago shall rise again, and less than a month later was elected mayor on the Union-Fire-Proof ticket. The ruins were cleared within a year. A new Palmer House opened in 1873 and in 1879 hosted the banquet welcoming Ulysses S. Grant home from his world tour, with Mark Twain giving the closing speech.
Chicago grew from about 324,000 people in 1871 to 500,000 by 1880 and more than a million by 1890. An 1871 investigation found no evidence Mrs. O'Leary was in her barn. Reporter Michael Ahern of the Chicago Republican admitted in 1911 that he and other writers had invented the story, and in 1997 the City Council formally exonerated Catherine O'Leary and her cow.

Questions & Answers (FAQ)

Q1: When was the Great Chicago Fire?

It began on the night of Sunday, October 8, 1871, and burned until the morning of Tuesday, October 10, more than thirty hours in all. Rain in the early hours of October 10 helped end it after the fire ran out of dense fuel on the North Side.

Q2: Did Mrs. O'Leary's cow really start the fire?

No. The fire did start in or near the O'Leary barn behind 137 DeKoven Street, but an 1871 investigation found no evidence that Catherine O'Leary was in the barn. Reporter Michael Ahern of the Chicago Republican admitted in 1911 that he and other writers had invented the cow story. Chicago's City Council formally exonerated her and the cow in 1997, 102 years after her death.

Q3: Why did the fire spread so fast?

A long drought had left about 3.5 inches of rain since early July and almost none since September. The city was built largely of wood, including its sidewalks and streets, and October 8 was unseasonably warm. Strong southwest winds created fire whirls that threw burning debris far ahead of the flames, and the fire jumped the Chicago River twice.

Q4: Why couldn't the fire department stop it?

Chicago had about 185 firefighters and 17 horse-drawn steam engines for roughly 324,000 people, and they were exhausted from a 16-hour fire the night before. Then burning timbers ignited the roof of the waterworks pumping station, the pumps failed, and the hydrants lost pressure.

Q5: How much of Chicago burned?

About 3.3 to 3.5 square miles, roughly 2,100 acres, and close to 18,000 structures, including the Post Office and Custom House, St. James Episcopal Church, Booksellers' Row, and the Palmer House hotel, which had opened thirteen days earlier. The Chicago Water Tower and a few other masonry buildings survived.

Q6: How many people died or lost their homes?

The estimated death toll is 300, and the true number was likely higher because the heat destroyed remains and many victims were never identified. About 100,000 people, roughly a third of the city, lost their homes. Damage was estimated at around 200 million dollars, several billion in today's currency.

Q7: Who kept order after the fire?

Mayor Roswell B. Mason placed the preservation of order under Lieutenant General Philip Sheridan, the Civil War cavalry commander. Soldiers, police, militia, and civilian volunteers patrolled the city while relief arrived from across the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Q8: How did Chicago recover?

Tribune editor Joseph Medill, who wrote Chicago shall rise again in the first editorial after the fire, was elected mayor less than a month later on the Union-Fire-Proof ticket. The ruins were cleared within a year. A new Palmer House opened in 1873, and in 1879 it hosted the banquet welcoming Ulysses S. Grant home from his world tour, with Mark Twain giving the closing speech. The population grew from about 324,000 in 1871 to more than a million by 1890.

Queen of the West

In the early 1830s, Chicago was a small frontier settlement with only a few hundred residents. By the 1870s, it was one of America's largest cities. Railroads made Chicago the nation's leading rail center and the principal transfer point between the East and the rapidly developing West. The city's newspapers promoted Chicago as the Queen of the West.

Thirty Hours in October

Then came the great Chicago fire of 1871. It began on the night of Sunday, October 8, and burned until the morning of Tuesday, October 10, altogether more than 30 hours. Most of the city's center was destroyed, including banks, hotels, the City Hall and county courthouse, newspaper offices and most churches. In his poem Chicago, published in The Atlantic two months after the fire, John Greenleaf Whittier declared: The City of the West is dead. Given the devastation, it may well have seemed so.

Yet a counter voice spoke out in the Chicago Tribune's first editorial after the fire. Editor and co-owner Joseph Medill wrote: Cheer up. In the midst of a calamity without parallel in the world's history, looking upon the ashes of thirty years' accumulations, the people of this once beautiful city have resolved that Chicago shall rise again.

The Barn on DeKoven Street

The great Chicago fire of 1871 started in or near a barn behind 137 DeKoven Street on the city's West Side, on property owned by Irish Catholic immigrants Patrick and Catherine O'Leary. An unlikely story emerged that Mrs. O'Leary was milking her cow at 9:00 that night, and that the cow kicked over a lantern and set the fire in motion. Years later, the story was made popular in the form of a song, known variously as Mrs. O'Leary's Cow, Old Mother Leary, and A Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight. For the rest of her life, Catherine O'Leary denied the popular story. She passed away in 1895.

A City of Wood in a Drought

What actually happened is that the city had suffered from a long drought that summer and fall. Chicago had received only about 3.5 inches of rain between early July and October 9, and virtually none between September and the night of the fire. To make matters worse, Chicago was built largely of wood: wooden buildings and sidewalks, even wooden streets. On October 8, the temperature was in the 80s, which was unseasonably warm for northern Illinois.

That night, Chicago was a tinderbox. The city had already suffered many fires that week, including a large Saturday Night Fire on October 7 that had lasted 16 hours. The city's fire department had only about 185 firefighters and 17 horse-drawn steam engines for a city of roughly 324,000 people. Personnel and equipment were already exhausted.

Fire Whirls and a Failed Waterworks

When the fire broke out on the night of October 8, strong southwest winds blew and created fire whirls that sent burning debris flying far ahead of the flames. The fire started on the West Side. Embers and strong winds carried flames across the South Branch of the Chicago River into downtown, then jumped the river over the main stem onto the North Side. Burning timbers ignited the roof of the city's waterworks pumping station. Pumping equipment failed, cutting off hydrant pressure and crippling firefighting.

What Burned and What Survived

About 3.3 to 3.5 square miles, roughly 2,100 acres, were devastated by the fire. Close to 18,000 structures were destroyed: the Post Office and Custom House, St. James Episcopal Church, Booksellers' Row, the city's newest luxury hotel, the Palmer House, which opened just thirteen days before the fire, and much of Pine Street, later incorporated into North Michigan Avenue. The Chicago Water Tower and a few other masonry buildings survived the fire. The O'Leary cottage itself was spared because the wind blew the fire away from it. Their barn was not. The fire ran out of dense fuel on the North Side, and rain arrived in the early hours of October 10.

The Toll

The estimated death toll is 300. The true number was likely higher because intense heat could destroy remains. Many victims were never identified. About 100,000 people, roughly one-third of Chicago's population, lost their homes. The total damage is estimated at around 200 million dollars, or roughly several billion in today's currency.

Chicago Mayor Roswell B. Mason placed the preservation of order under the celebrated Civil War veteran, Lieutenant General Philip Sheridan. Soldiers, police, militia, and civilian volunteers patrolled the city while relief arrived from across the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Chicago Rises Again

Just under a month later, a new mayor was elected: Joseph Medill, the man who had authored the famous editorial just after the fire, predicting that Chicago will rise again. Medill ran on the Union-Fire-Proof ticket. The city's ruins were largely cleared within a year after the fire.

In 1873 a new Palmer House Hotel was built, just two years after the original was destroyed. On November 13 and 14, 1879, it was host to a banquet given by the Society of the Army of the Tennessee to welcome former general and president Ulysses S. Grant home from his world tour. Mark Twain gave the closing speech. Chicago's population grew from about 324,000 in 1871 to roughly 500,000 by 1880 and more than 1 million by 1890.

The Cow That Didn't Do It

As for Mrs. O'Leary, an 1871 investigation found no evidence that she was in her barn milking her cow. It turned out that the story concerning her cow and the start of the fire was invented by Michael Ahern, a reporter for the Chicago Republican. In 1911, sixteen years after Catherine O'Leary's death, Ahern admitted that he and other writers had made it up. In 1997, another eighty-six years later, Chicago's City Council formally exonerated Catherine O'Leary and her cow.