Analysis Of O Leary's Cow To Blame For The 1871 Chicago Fire

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was a tragic event that impacted many people at the time. The fire raged through the city of Chicago, Illinois from October 8th to October 10th, destroying 3.3 square miles of downtown Chicago. While the fire was devastating, it laid the groundwork for rebuilding a stronger Chicago.

their possessions in to the street. Both the west and south side were cover in

In 1871 there was a great fire that nobody expected.It was a fire that roared like a lion that shines like in sun and burns like a volcano.One second you close your eyes and then you open them then,for that one second of your eyes closed you felt peace then you opened them and everything went to screaming,running,crying,and you in this fire and it was called “The Great Fire”.Jim Murphy showed us information that all of this happened that everything went wrong in The Great Chicago Fire.

The Great Chicago Fire was a major milestone in the city’s history. The fire started on October 8th, 1871 and did not end until October 10th, 1871. People never saw this fire coming which might have made it even worse. The only reason it spread so far was because everything was made out of wood, the ground was parched and the wind was blowing that night; the reason it stopped was because it had started raining. Although the fire destroyed most of the city, it was a positive turning point in history. The Chicago Fire improved firefighting and their equipment, new buildings that were made out of fireproof materials, and it brought big investors to the city.

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was one of the largest disasters in American history. Practically overnight the great city of Chicago was destroyed. Before the fire there was a large drought causing everything to be dry and flammable, then a fire broke out in the O’Leary’s barn and spread throughout the city. Many attempts were made to put out the fire but there were too many errors and problems in the beginning. After the fire many people were left homeless and had to help build their city again (Murphy, 39)

The Great Chicago Fire was one of the significant devastation that happened in the eighteenth century. Through this tragic event, hundreds of people died and thousands of buildings were completely destroyed in the fire. Before, the city was flourishing as more people traveled and decided to call Chicago their home. After the fire destroyed most of the surrounding area, people began blaming one another for the deaths of all the people. As time passed, Chicago slowly began to rebuild like never before. Although the city of Chicago continued to grow before the fire, after, the city boomed with the abundance of money and people. Moreover, because there was destruction, the people of Chicago, Illinois did not allow a fire to stop them from creating more opportunities for the future. The city has changed from the fire, but because of the help that was received, it was able to get rebuilt, and invite new individuals to explore the wondrous city of Chicago.

All forests accumulate dead and dried up bits of sticks and leaves that can easily catch fire. These conditions make wildfires inevitable. Cruelty is just as inevitable, and perhaps just as natural. Throughout the story, the boys repeatedly cry “Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the

The preconditions of the area where the fire occurred were very dry land with “whipping seasonal gusts known as the Santa Ana winds and the Diablo winds” (mnn.com). The fire was started by a hunter who was lost in the woods. He believed he could be found easily if he started a small signal fire however, because of the preconditions, this small fire would spread and become the “largest single fire in California’s recorded history” (mnn.com)

Throughout the mid 1800´s Chicago was undergoing substantial growth. The city had a population of 30,000 in 1850 and within 30 years had grown to nearly 90,000. Middle class individuals settled the outskirts of the city expanding it's borders. Lower class individuals continued to settle in the downtown districts. This resulted in an extremely dense concentration of people and wooden structures which would contribute to the extensive damage caused by the fire.

The county fire marshal Alan Carson, saw the fire around 1.30 am and he defined the fire was a big one. Added that the weather and

The history of fires goes back to the 17th century. They were called, “Fire buckets”. They came into existence because there was no fireman. Fire buckets were people organizing themselves like a human chain with buckets passing around. There was at least two to three buckets full of

The Great Chicago Fire was a tragic event to happen in the city's history. While the cause of this major fire is unknown, Chicago's wood buildings and dry summer made the fire much worse. There are a few theories to how this fire started, but what is known for sure is that it started in the O'Leary's barn. This particular fire lasted two days and spread quickly. Firefighters were contacted, but were sent to the wrong place, causing chaos and delays as they tried to find the fire. By the time firefighters got there, the fire was spreading from house to house, already unmanageable. Before they knew it the fire had taken over the city. Within two days, the water tank in the city had run out of water. Luckily before the fire moved further, on October 10 1871, it was put out by nature's rain.

The fire started by campers thirty miles north of Winthrop in Okanogan National Forest in the Chewuch river valley. The fire was only 25 acres in size when twenty one Forest Service firefighters were dispatched to the fire.

There is some dispute to the cause of the fire, but most believe it was set by three inmates who intended to cause a distraction during dinner time, so as to make an escape in the commotion. Instead, they mistimed the ignition device which didn’t ignite until they were all locked up for the night (Latta). This idea was later cemented as the cause when two of the three men hung themselves from grief. There are still some, however, that believe the fire was a tragic accident and the prison officials used the three inmates as an excuse to avoid blame

An interesting reference to the folktale of Mrs. O’leary’s cow beggining a Chicago fire. This was a reference