Today in History...

The Anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire

According to legend, the Great fire of Chicago began October 8, 1871, when Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over the lantern in her barn on DeKoven Street. The fire leveled 3.5 square miles, destroying 17,450 buildings and leaving 98,500 people homeless. Financially, the loss was $200 million.

To learn more check out these PCL resources:

New York Times Historical Database - search keywords 'Fires in Chicago'
The Oxford Companion to US History -available on ACCESS PA > Oxford Reference Online
The great Chicago fire / Dynise Balcavage. (2002)The Great Chicago Fire / R. Conrad Stein. (2005)The great fire / Jim Murphy. (1995)
excerpted from: Chase's Calendar of Events 2009 (available in the reference section)