Great Chicago Fire Of 1871 Research Paper

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The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was one of the most spectacular events of the 19th Century, and is recognized as a major milestone in the City’s history. “On a Wednesday morning at a quarter past five came the earthquake. A minute later the flames were leaping upward. In a dozen different quarters south of Market Street, in the working-class ghetto, and in the factories, fires started. There was no opposing the flames… And the great water mains had burst.” Here is some background history of Chicago, prior to the Fire in 1871 (1833-1871). Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837, but over the period 1833-1871, Chicago experienced rapid growth and expansion. Its population was 4000+, and there were 29 dry goods stores, 5 hardware stores, 45 Grocery and provision establishments, 10 taverns, and 19 lawyers’ offices. It was also a trading center for those residing as far as 200 miles into the hinterland. …show more content…

It left approximately 3 1/3 square miles of the city in ruins, created $192,000,000 in property damage, and took the lives of some 300 people. A lot of people describe Chicago as a phoenix rising out of the ashes of its ruins. The following is about the great rebuilding. The “Great Rebuilding” was the effort to construct a new urban center. Chicago’s summer and fall in 1871 were unusually dry, bringing about ¼ of the normal rain fall between July and October. They tried to reconstruct the city. The town was rebuilt using brick instead of wood because the city was, as some say, foolishly built out of wood, making the town more susceptible to fires in the drought

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