When the fire brigade’s general alarm bells sounded on the night of October 8, 1871, most Chicagoans paid no special notice. The summer had been the hottest and driest of many seasons, and Oc… ...

In this photo taken shortly after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the O’Leary house, center, still stands, but only rubble is left of its barn, right. The shell of St. Paul’s Universalist ...

Kirkland's history, published in 1892, gathers some remarkable before-and-after photos of the fire's devastation, from the South Loop up to the Near North Side.

Over the span of just a few days in October 1871, the Great Chicago Fire devastated the city, claiming the lives of more than 300 people and leaving over 100,000 residents homeless.

On this day in history, Oct. 8, 1871, a terrible fire broke out on the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, killing 300 people and leaving a third of the city's population homeless.

The Great Fire of 1871 is Chicago’s creation myth, a heroic tale of the city’s rise from the ashes that civic boosters say best explains the past, present and — if we’ve still got the ...

October 1871: Chicago is a tinderbox. In three months, only an inch of rain has fallen. For days a strong, hot wind has blown in from the southwest.

In this photo taken shortly after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the O’Leary house, center, still stands, but only rubble is left of its barn, right. The shell of St. Paul’s Universalist ...

In this photo taken shortly after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the O’Leary house, center, still stands, but only rubble is left of its barn, right. The shell of St. Paul’s Universalist ...

The Great Chicago Fire erupted on Oct. 8, 1871, and burned a large portion of the city until it died out two days later. The fire killed hundreds and destroyed much of the central business ...