Sim Barr

🔥 The Great Chicago Fire 🔥

“It was like a snowstorm, only the flakes were red instead of white.”

On the night of Oct. 8, 1871, a fire erupted in the O’Leary family barn at DeKoven Street in Chicago. The most famous explanation was that a cow kicked over a lamp while being milked by Mrs. O’Leary, but the O’Learys insisted they were asleep at the time. Still, the rumor caught on with the public, spread by local papers and enflamed by the anti-Irish sentiments of the time and a desire for a clear scapegoat.

The fire killed about 300 people, destroyed over 17,000 structures, and left more than 100,000 residents homeless.

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Apr 16, 2023 at 12:27pmWeb
Show threadβɛthApr 16, 2023

@simbarr As a native Chicagoan, I've always found the "official" explanation a bit ridiculous. I know people who live and work on farms; they don't milk their cows at 9 o'clock at night.

Also, if you look at the top of St. James Cathedral's bell tower, you'll see soot and scorch marks. Apparently, it was the only part of the original church to survive the fire, so they built the new church around it.