The Great Chicago Fire Controversy

It was on October 8, 1971 that the Great Chicago Fire started. The flames from the fire would last until the early morning hours of October 10. It is alleged that the fire was started by a cow that belonged to Mrs. Catherine O'Leary on Dekoven Street. The cow supposedly kicked over a kerosene lantern that ignited the fire. The blaze of the fire would cover three and a half square miles of Chicago and took about 250 lives.

However, in 1893, Chicago Tribune reporter Michael Ahern, who created the cow story, claimed that he made that up because he thought it would make for a more compelling copy. One of the biggest reasons why the fire spread so quickly was the overuse of wood on building structures, strong northwesterly winds, and a drought before it started. Firefighters were also tired from having to fight a fire the day before. Furthermore, citizens failed to react fast enough to the fire, and also were not caring at all when it started.

The fire engulfed the city and it wasn't until a fire alarm at a pharmacy had been pulled that firefighters first reacted to it. A guard on duty finally realized that this had been a new fire starting as he originally thought the glow in the sky was from the previous day's fire. The size of the blaze had sparked extremely strong winds as well as heat that ignited rooftops, too.

Firefighters were unsuccessful in putting out the fire. By the time the mayor had called other cities for help, it was too late. The fire had destroyed all the waterworks, and this completely cutoff the city's water supply. The firefighters had not choice but to give up on putting the fire out as a result.

The fire had blazed through the central business district, hotels, and department stores at this point. The blaze continued northward across the Chicago River as panic from residents grew. The fire continued to burn homes and buildings on the north side as residents fled to Lincoln Park and the shores of Lake Michigan.

Eventually, the fire had burned itself as a result of light rain and diminishing winds in the early morning of October 10. The smoldering remains after the fire ended prevented residents from assessing the overall damage. One of the buildings that did survive the fire was the Chicago Water Tower. It still stands today as a reminder of this event. Like other cities who experienced a damaging fire, Chicago used a flurry of building activity to help become an economically important area of the country after the fire.

Many controversies and questions still surround the starting of the fire. One of them is from historian Richard Bales, who believes that Daniel "Pegleg" Sullivan started the fire while igniting hay to steal milk from the Mrs. O'Leary estate. In his testimony before the Chicago Fire Department, Sullivan claimed he saw the fire coming from the side of the barn. Sullivan then ran across the street to free the animals from the burning flames. However, evidence of the layout of DeKoven Street indicates that Sullivan would not have had a clear view of the fire.

There is supposed evidence from the Chicago Tribune that suggests that the fire was started by Louis M. Cohn during a game of craps. According to the book, The Complete Illustrated Guide to Gambling, produced by Alan Wykes in 1964, Cohn admitted to starting the fire in a lost will. According to Cohn, he had been gambling in the O'Leary barn with one her sons. Mrs. O'Leary chased Cohn away, and he proceeded to knock over the kerosene lantern, which started the fire. Cohn did claim that he was able to get away with the money that he won before being chased off.

Another theory suggests that the fire was started by methane found in meteors. Physicist Robert Wood suggested that the fire began when Biela's Comet broke up over the Midwest and fell below. This is supported by the nearby fires that took place on the same day the Great Chicago Fire started. Sparks lit forest fires that destroyed a million acres of Michigan and Wisconsin. The town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin had become engulfed in flames, and resulted in the most deadliest fire in American history. Holland, Michigan and Manistee, Michigan were also lit on fire as well across Lake Michigan. However, there is no clear evidence of a meteor causing these fires, but it does look very coincidental.

Others suggest that fires in Chicago and the surrounding cities had been the result of winds in a low pressure weather system and prolonged drought that hit that area of the country at the time.

So what really started the Great Chicago Fire? Did Mrs. O'Leary actually chase Cohn away from gambling on her property? Was it a meteor shower that caused Chicago and the surrounding areas to be engulfed in flames? One thing that is for sure is that this fire helped Chicago become one of the most important cities in North America after it had rebuilt from the disaster. We may never know who or what started the fire, but the end result gave us a city that is known for great architecture and beautiful landscapes that defines its history.