City On Fire
Cobblestone American History Magazine for Kids|January 2017

For years, legends blamed Mrs. O’Leary’s cow, Daisy, for starting Chicago’s Great Fire of 1871.

Barbara Brooks Simons
City On Fire

The story was that Daisy kicked over a lantern in her stall, setting the straw on fire and starting the tremendous blaze. No proof exists of Daisy’s involvement, but the fire did break out near the O’Learys’ barn on Sunday night, October 8, 1871. The O’Leary’s lived in the southwestern quarter of Chicago, divided by the North and South branches of the Chicago River.

Cow or no cow, the city was all too vulnerable to fire. Beginning in the 1830s, Chicago had grown quickly into a rough and bustling metropolis. The buildings in the city were built hastily and carelessly. While the more prosperous residents had built a few brick homes, most of the structures were wooden cottages, sheds, barns, and crowded slums. The city was filled with wooden sidewalks, and many of the streets also were paved with wood. To make things worse, the summer of 1871 had been very, very dry.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 2017-Ausgabe von Cobblestone American History Magazine for Kids.

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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 2017-Ausgabe von Cobblestone American History Magazine for Kids.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

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