Table of Contents Setting the Stage 4 The Fire Begins 6 Firefighting 12 Rescues 18 Rain and Rebuilding 22 Celebrating Survival 24 Discover More 26 Websites 29 Glossary 30 Index 31 3
Setting the Stage Thursday Chicago Daily News Fire Destroys Four Square Miles Issue 7 Volume 11 October 12 1871 On Sunday October 8 people in downtown Chicago awoke to see flames leaping at their homes Grabbing Grabbing anything they could they fled toward Lake Michigan Hundreds did not escape in time and many suffered serious burns All lost their homes Rumor has it Mrs O Leary's cow kicked over a lantern in her barn starting this disaster How ever the story has not been con firmed What is known is that fire totally destroyed four square miles Wooden buildings fueled the fires moving across the area The city is pulling together to aid those suffering suffering great losses
One star on Chicago's official flag stands for the building of Fort Dearborn the next star stands for the Great Chicago Fire and the last two stand for the World's Fairs in 1893 and 1933 The top and bottom blue stripes represent Lake Michigan and the Chicago River One of the largest fires of the 19th century burned for two days and destroyed four square miles 10 square kilometers in Chicago More than 300 people lost their lives and 100,000 lost their homes Several different reasons for the start of the fire have been suggested The most well-known is that it began when a cow kicked over a lantern in Mrs O’Leary’s barn Regardless of the reason Chicago was devasted by the fire The citizens however were commited to rebuilding this great city Within just four years workers rebuilt what was lost Chicago was better than ever 5
