1. Ravi Jagadeesan, Avery Coonley. Pictures/Map from Chicago Fire Website
The Chicago Fire
Ravi Jagadeesan, Avery Coonley.
Pictures/Map from Chicago Fire Website

2. When & Where the Great Chicago Fire Started
Around 9:30 PM on October 8, 1871 in the O’Leary barn, 137 DeKoven St., West Division

3. How the Great Chicago Fire Started
The most common stories of how the FIRE started: a cow knocking over a lantern, Catherine O’Leary knocking over the lantern
The most common stories are most likely untrue!

4. The Conditions on the day the Great Chicago Fire Started
Dry
2 fires per day
20 fires in the week before the FIRE – biggest day before FIRE
Flammable – wooden houses, wooden sidewalks, wooden streets
65 mph wind!

5. What the Chicago Fire Destroyed
4.5 square miles, one-third of 1871 Chicago
Burnt over 15 of the 16 bridges over the Chicago River
Burnt over Chicago river because it burnt 2-3” layer of oil on river
Money in safes burst into flame upon contact with the boiling air

6. A. O'Leary barn B. Bateham's Mills C. Parmelee's Stables D
A. O'Leary barn B. Bateham's Mills C. Parmelee's Stables D. Gas Works      Conley's Patch E. Court House F. Wright's Stables G. Polk Street H. Northwestern Elevator I. Galena Elevator

7. Damage Caused By the Fire
300 people died
100,000 people left homeless!
$200 million in damage!

8. Ruins of the Business Center looking southwest from Old Fort Dearborn
Ruins of the Business Center looking southwest from Old Fort Dearborn. Explosion of Giant Powder and fall of buildings in the front.

9. Wholesale District, looking west along the Chicago River
Wholesale District, looking west along the Chicago River. River street in the very front. The West Side in the distance.

11. Burning of the North Division. Looking north up Rush Street.

13. Looking eastward. Mouth of Chicago River. Lake Michigan
Looking eastward. Mouth of Chicago River. Lake Michigan. Many scared people escaping from the Fire in boats.

14. Looking southeast. Burning of the Old United States Marine Hospital
Looking southeast. Burning of the Old United States Marine Hospital. Rescuing the people who live in a house or apartment

15. A Personal Letter
This is the letter Justin wrote to his friend, Phillip Prescott. It had his personal narrative of the fire included

16. Dear Chum, We are burnt out of house and home and so we had to come up here. I suppose you would like to hear about the fire and how we escaped from it. Half past one Monday morning we were awakened by a loud knocking at the front door we were awake in an instant and dressing ourselves we looked about and saw a perfect shower of sparks flying over our house. I got some water and went out in the yard while my brother went up on the roof we worked for one or two hours at the end of that time we had to give up. We tried to get a wagon but could not so we put two trunks on a wheelbarrow and each of us shouldered a bundle and we marched for the old skating park I leading my goat. We got along very well until the Pes[h]tigo Lumber yard caught on fire then it was all we could do to breathe. Mother caught on fire once but we put it out at last we heard that there was a little shanty that hadn't burnt down so we marched there but had to leave our trunks and everything else but Charlie and father went back and got one but could not get the other as the sand was blowing in their faces and cut like glass at last a wagon drove up and we all piled in and escaped so good by yours Justin

17. How the Chicago Fire Ended
Rain on Monday evening
Fire end on Tuesday Morning
Catherine O’Leary was taken to court, but proven innocent
O’Leary House survived

18. Other Ways That the Fire Could Have Started
Meteor showers: A meteor shower, 14 small fires, and another big fire that night.
Say Now I am going to tell you other ways that the Chicago Fire could have started.

19. Daniel Sullivan & Dennis Regan
Daniel Sullivan claims to have witnessed the start of the Great Chicago Fire, but couldn’t have because his view of the O’Leary barn would have been blocked by the house of James Dalton
Sullivan & Regan visited the O’Leary House before the fire that night.

20. How Chicago Changed
Chicago made less flammable -- houses made based on cement and bricks
Chicago learned a big lesson the hard way