October 8
MRS. O’LEARY’S COW DAY
When Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern in the barn on this day in 1871, it was no laughing matter.
The barn, on DeKoven Street in Chicago, caught fire. The fire spread, scorching almost four square miles, killing about 300 people and leaving a path of destruction valued at over two hundred million dollars -- a lot of dollars for that time.
Of course, Patrick & Mrs. O’Leary’s barn was destroyed; as were 17,450 other buildings, leaving almost 99,000 people homeless. The city of Chicago was virtually leveled. And out of the ashes, a phoenix, in the guise of a steel and concrete Chicago, rose -- all because of one cow.
Now, more than 125 years later, a history buff, Richard Bales, says it may not have been Mrs. O’Leary’s cow, after all. It seems that Daniel ‘Peg Leg’ Sullivan, a neighbor of the O’Leary’s, was in the barn feeding his mother’s cow. He either kicked over a lantern or dropped a match or pipe, setting the famous fire. Sullivan, who had been questioned about the fire, said he was across the street when he saw the fire break out. A two-story building would have blocked his view. So, Bales theorizes that Sullivan lied and was the cause of the fire, rather than Mrs. O’Leary’s cow.
You’ll have to draw your own conclusion about the Great Chicago Fire.
Those Were the Days, the Today in History service from 440 International
No portion of these files may be reproduced without the express, written permission of 440 International Inc.
