“The Great Chicago Fire and the Myth of Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow”

By Richard F. Bales

Benjamin Spees

PAD 5398

Factors Leading up to the Great Fire

Extremely hot and dry Summer 22 day drought Chicago consisted of over 561 miles of wooden sidewalks. 28 “significant” fires occurred during the first week of October Fire at the Lull & Holmes planing mill occurred October 7,

1871 Firefighters worked throughout the night to extinguish this fire,

only to learn about the fire at Mrs. O’Leary’s barn early the following morning

The Great Chicago Fire Occurred on October 8, 1871 Killed at least 300 people Left over 100,000 people homeless Caused approximately $192,000,000 million in property

damage Burned 3 square miles of the city in less than 2 days

Chicago Fire Department Employed by 193 Firemen Utilized:

16 steam engines 6 hose carts 4 hook-and-ladder companies 1 hose elevator

Fire Marshal Robert Williams

requested more resources but was

declined.

In 1871, each steam engine was

responsible for more than 2 square

miles of combustible territory.

Mrs. Catherine O’Leary Married to Patrick O’Leary Lived at 137 DeKoven Street, on Chicago’s West Side Ironically, little is known about Mrs. O’Leary personal life Owned 5 cows and sold the milk for income

Why was Mrs. O’Leary Blamed? The story was first reported by Chicago Evening Journal,

claiming the fire broke out on DeKoven street near O’Leary’s barn

Mrs. O’Leary’s cows were blamed by kids in the neighborhood and then reported in the newspapers

Many post-fire newspaper editions supported this claim Mrs. O’Leary was an easy scapegoat

Mrs. O’Leary’s defense: she was in bed with her husband and only milked her cows in the morning. This was supported by several witnesses

Great Chicago Fire Investigation Conducted by the Board of Police and Fire Commissioners 50 people were interviewed

The investigation of the fire is viewed as a complete failure by the Board of Police and Fire Commissioners Awful selection of questions Key witnesses were only asked general questions

Investigators issued their final report with no clear explanation for the fire’s cause

“The real mystery of the Chicago Fire is not its cause, but rather, why the fire officials chose to conduct their investigation in this manner.” -Bales

Real Cause of the Great Fire Conflicting theories

Daniel “Peg Leg” Sullivan

Dennis Regan Mystery

Someone else from the

McLaughlin party

Rebuilding After the Great Fire New laws in place to prevent fires.

Many poorer Chicagoans could not afford less flammable

materials

Many citizens could not afford

fire insurance.

Due to strict rebuilding laws, many

businesses were forced out of Chicago

Ironically, a CFD training facility was

built where Mrs. O’Leary’s barn

previously stood.

How the Great Fire Effects us Today

New responding methods to Fires.

Preventative measures in dry seasons

Larger Fire Departments and more resources.

More thorough and effective investigative commissions

Richard F. Bales

Significance of Bales’ research

Cleared Mrs. O’Leary’s name of any wrongdoing in 1997

Maintains the only set of land records that survived the 1871 fire

Currently employed by Chicago Insurance Title Company

Resources Bales, R. (2007). The great chicago fire and the myth of mrs. o'lear'ys cow. Jefferson,

NC: McFarland & Company.

Chicago Fire of 1871. (2013). The History Channel website. Retrieved 10:53, November 19, 2013, from http://www.history.com/topics/great-chicago-fire.

Schons, M. (2011, January 25). Chicago fire of 1871 and the great rebuilding. Retrieved from http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/news/chicago-fire-1871-and-great-rebuilding/?ar_a=1

Soniak, M. (2012, October 25). Did a cow really cause the great chicago fire?. Retrieved from http://mentalfloss.com/article/12864/did-cow-really-cause-great-chicago-fire

The Great Chicago Fire and the Myth of Mrs. O'Leary's Cow by Richard F. Bales Review by: Ann Durkin Keating. Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society (1998-) , Vol. 97, No. 2 (Summer, 2004), pp. 159-160. Published by: University of Illinois Press on behalf of the Illinois State Historical Society. Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40193641

Resources Continued www.aptosfire.com 

homicide.northwestern.edu 

www.cardcow.com

www.thechicagofire.com 

chicago-outdoor-sculptures.blogspot.com