Early Chicago › History

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871

Over about two days in October 1871, fire destroyed the center of a city built mostly of wood.

Where and when it started

The fire began on the evening of October 8, 1871, in or near a barn behind the O'Leary family home on DeKoven Street, on the Near West Side. A dry summer, wooden buildings and sidewalks, and a strong wind from the southwest carried it northeast across the river and through downtown.

How much was lost

• About 300 people died.
• Roughly 100,000 people, about a third of the city, were left homeless.
• About 17,500 buildings were destroyed across more than three square miles.

Rain helped put the fire out on October 10.

The cow

The story that Catherine O'Leary's cow kicked over a lantern spread within days. The cause was never determined, and a reporter later said the cow story had been invented. In 1997 the Chicago City Council passed a resolution clearing Mrs. O'Leary and her cow.

What survived, and what came next

The Chicago Water Tower and the pumping station across the street, both on Michigan Avenue, are the best-known survivors in the burned district. Rebuilding began almost at once, with stricter rules on building materials downtown. The rebuilt city became a testing ground for new construction methods, including the steel-framed tall buildings of the 1880s. One of the stars on the flag of Chicago stands for the fire.