Highlights
The Great Chicago Fire began about 9 p.m. on Oct. 8, 1871, and lasted through early Oct. 10. Ground zero was the barn owned by the O'Learys, at 137 DeKoven St. The fire killed some 300 people, left 100,000 homeless and destroyed most of the city18,000 structures, including theaters, hotels, banks, newspaper offices and public buildings. The O'Leary house itself, in front of the barn, was virtually unscathed. The fabled kicking over of a kerosene lamp by Mrs. O'Leary's cow has been widely discounted as the cause of the fire. Instead, the cause is seen to have been the city's eagerness to grow faster than any place in history. Within 40 years of its birth as a city, Chicago had grown from a ha...
The Great Chicago Fire began about 9 p.m. on Oct. 8, 1871, and lasted through early Oct. 10. Ground zero was the barn owned by the O'Learys, at 137 DeKoven St. The fire killed some 300 people, left 100,000 homeless and destroyed most of the city18,000 structures, including theaters, hotels, banks, newspaper offices and public buildings. The O'Leary house itself, in front of the barn, was virtually unscathed. The fabled kicking over of a kerosene lamp by Mrs. O'Leary's cow has been widely discounted as the cause of the fire. Instead, the cause is seen to have been the city's eagerness to grow faster than any place in history. Within 40 years of its birth as a city, Chicago had grown from a half-square-mile town of 150 people to an 18-square-mile city of 340,000. Most buildings were wood, the cheapest and fastest material for construction. Those few made of stone or brick were heavily trimmed in wood. The sidewalks were wood, so were the signs and the roofs. Downtown streets were lined with pine planks. The city was a tinderbox. At the height of the fire, a great mass of humanity headed to the cool, green prairie on the city's outskirts, then Fullerton Avenue. There are no known photographs of the fire in progress, but illustrations do exist. Many are by noted Civil War illustrator Alfred Waud, who was in St. Louis when he heard about the fire and jumped a train north. The first load of lumber to rebuild the city was delivered the day the final flames were extinguished. Just 22 years later, the city had rebuilt enough to host the World Columbian Exposition.
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After 50 years, pain of Angels fire lasts
Tribune reporterWhat Mary Ellen Reeves remembers most vividly, 50 years later, is the cold of that December day and the black smoke rising against the bright blue sky. Many hours would pass before the 9-year-old would know her older sister was dead. For many survivors...Tags: Humboldt Park, Old Catholic, Carol Stream, Cults and Sects, Christianity
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No place like Grant Park for a Democratic victory rally
When those 200,000 or however-many Barack Obamians gathered in Chicago's Grant Park late Tuesday and early Wednesday to celebrate the election of America's first African American president, they were literally and figuratively standing on historic ground....Tags: The Brady Bunch (tv program), Democratic Party, Parties and Movements, William Daley, Republican Party
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Yummy words! . I just love Leah Eskin's "Home on the Range" article each week, despite the fact that I'm not a great cook. The truth is, I very rarely cook because I am fortunate to have a hubby who has that gift. But despite my ineptness in the...Tags: High School Sports, Rowing, Schools, Abraham Lincoln
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From gritty roots to urban chic
Chicago Tribune reporterGary Deutsch wanted to live in a neighborhood with the cosmopolitan flair and pulsating pace that his digs in San Diego lacked. He found that in River North, a once-derelict district being transformed by new development into one of the city's most vibrant...Tags: Rick Bayless, Property, Chicago River, Hotel and Accommodation Industry, Ohio
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Tribune picks: O'Hare Airport shops and services
Delays are a part of life, especially at one of the world's busiest airports. Make the most of your terminal downtime with our guide to shops and services. Everything from massages to martinis can be had between flights, if you know where to look....Tags: O'Hare International Airport, Soccer, University of Illinois at Chicago, Books, Books and Magazines
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The World's Columbian Exposition at the 'White City'
Chicago TribuneThe World's Columbian Exposition, which opened on this date, was the most famous world's fair ever held on American soil. The fair, a celebration by the nation--and the world--of the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the Americas by Christopher...Tags: National Government, Society, New York, Jackson Park, Ceremonies
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Other public sculptures
1. Bison, 1909, (Edward Kemeys) Humboldt Park Alan Artner:The lions flanking the stairs to the Art Institute of Chicago are some of the most famous animal sculptures in North America; much less known is this pair of bison from the same period that...Tags: Art Institute of Chicago, Minnesota, Evanston, Humboldt Park, Animals
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10 things you might not know about beer
As we celebrate the start of Germany's Oktoberfest on Saturday, and as we mourn the recent death of connoisseur Michael 'The Beer Hunter' Jackson, let's investigate the civilizing qualities of beer. 1. Why did the Pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock instead...Tags: National Government, Cleveland Indians, Baseball, Beverage Industry, Major League Baseball
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True north in Michigan's Upper Peninsula
Special to The Los Angeles TimesBayfield, Wis. It was a good sunrise. It was a true sunrise. Hemingway would have liked it. I stood on the shore of Lake Superior in this tiny Wisconsin town -- not exactly Ernest Hemingway country -- but I was traveling on the way to one of Papa's...Tags: Ernest Hemingway, Natural Resources, Labor Day, Hotel and Accommodation Industry, Soccer
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LAKE GENEVA: A party place grows up
Tribune staff reporterIt's changing here too. For the better? For the most part. But there's a tug--and we'll get to that a little later.For sure, Lake Geneva is on a roll. It's surrounded by booming development on its edges that's beginning to ease closer to town, for one...Tags: Hotel and Accommodation Industry, Golf, Paul Newman, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Family
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Original site for Great Chicago Fire of 1871 topic gallery.
