The Great Chicago Fire
The Great Chicago Fire devastated an area of the city that was about 4 miles long and nearly a mile wide. The fire burned from October 8 to October 10 in 1871. That October had been dry and the fact that The Windy City was made entirely of wood made it especially vulnerable to fire. Legend has it that the blaze was started in the O’Leary’s barn, where a cow kicked over a lantern while being milked by Mrs. O’Leary. There was even a folksong written about the supposed incident. It said, “Late one night, when we were all in bed,
Mrs. O’Leary lit a lantern in the shed.
Her cow kicked it over, then winked and said,
“There’ll be a hot time in the old town tonight.””
Mrs. O’Leary denied the fact that her and her cow were the
The Great Chicago Fire devastated an area of the city that was about 4 miles long and nearly a mile wide. The fire burned from October 8 to October 10 in 1871. That October had been dry and the fact that The Windy City was made entirely of wood made it especially vulnerable to fire. Legend has it that the blaze was started in the O’Leary’s barn, where a cow kicked over a lantern while being milked by Mrs. O’Leary. There was even a folksong written about the supposed incident. It said, “Late one night, when we were all in bed,
Mrs. O’Leary lit a lantern in the shed.
Her cow kicked it over, then winked and said,
“There’ll be a hot time in the old town tonight.””
Mrs. O’Leary denied the fact that her and her cow were the