Great Chicago Fire Of 1871 Research Paper

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Pages: 4

There is no better way to understand the true spirit of Illinois, than to understand how the skyline of the city of Chicago was born. How it managed to rise from the ashes and touch the sky after one of the most devastating tragedies ever to occur in a US city. The eloquence and beauty of the iconic “windy city” is the result of a tragedy known as the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Who would’ve know that such an event would change the character of the city so immensely while instilling in the hearts of its residents an overcoming and persevering spirit.

“The whole Midwest was parched, caught in the thrall of a mighty drought. Chicago, with its preponderance of wooden buildings, inadequate fire codes and inferior fire-fighting equipment, was a conflagration waiting to happen. On this Sunday evening, it did.” (1, pg.1). The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 started the evening of October 8th, 1871 and burned until the morning of Tuesday October 10th. It spread quickly to the North and East crossing the river and finally
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In a desperate attempt to flee the flames, men, women, and children fled the city frantically in search of bodies of water that would shield them from what seemed to be a death wish. “The great, dazzling, mounting light, the crash and roar of the conflagration, and the desperate flight of the crowd combined to make a scene of which no intelligent idea can be conveyed in words,” a young journalist, J. E. Chamberlain, wrote. The Great Chicago Fire had started around 9:00pm, which is one reason why the tragedy has been called “The Night America Burned.” Some say that even before the bricks stopped smoking, the people of Chicago vowed to come back even bigger than before. And that’s just what they