The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 Essay Sample

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was one of the most destructive disasters in American history, and it resulted in property damage, loss of lives, and the rebuilding of Chicago. The fire began on the night of October eighth and came under control on October tenth. It destroyed 3.3 square miles of property and killed an estimated three hundred people. Although the fire was a horrible event in Chicago history, it did have some positive effects such as stricter building and fire codes, population growth, and more organized firefighting techniques.   

On October eighth, 1871, unusually dry weather and numerous wooden buildings and sidewalks made Chicago susceptible to fire. The fire started on the night of October eighth in a barn owned by Patrick and Catherin O’leary. The exact cause of the fire is unknown, but legend states their family’s cow knocked over a lighted lantern. The family, however denied these claims, so the true cause of the fire remains unknow. Even though the cause is undetermined, it is known that the fire grew rapidly out of control and quickly spread towards the central city. The fire burned with the same ferociously the next day and was finally contained, after a rainstorm. The Great Chicago Fire destroyed 17,000 structures, killed and estimated 300 people, and left 100,000 homeless. It also left 200 million dollars of damage property. Because of the Fire, many people resorted to thieving, looting, and other illegal activities. A multitude of soldiers were brought in and martial law was ordered ending the mayhem. The martial law was lifted many weeks later. The reconstruction started promptly, even before the architectures had the whole plan laid out.  

The reconstruction of Chicago started immediately. Chicago was a blank slate, which allowed it to become an innovative and powerful state. One of the first things instituted were stricter building and fire codes. Laws were passed that required all buildings to be constructed with fireproof materials, however not everyone followed these laws and the process happened very slow. They also banned the construction of wooden buildings within the city limit. All these positive changes led to the Home Insurance Building, which became known as the world first modern skyscraper. “The great legend of Chicago is that it's a ‘phoenix city’ – it almost instantly rebuilt itself bigger and better from the ashes. And to a certain and significant extent, that's true,” (Smith, Carl). This quote shows that Chicago became bigger and better after the fire, resulting in the amazing city known today. Most of the city was built in two years, although it halted in 1873, so the city wasn’t completely built till 1880. Rebuilding the city took many years of hard work but it clearly led to positive results. 

The Great fire was a disastrous event, but it did have some positive effects. Some of these positive effects were organized fire station, improved fire safety laws, population growth, and modern skyscrapers. The fire station was completely reorganized and received more structure and leadership. The New York fire chief, Alexander Shaler, was hired to sort out the fire station. Some of the changes were improved fire safety and hiring 300 watchmen to look for fire on the streets at night. Fire safety also continued to grow and evolve. One of these fire safety laws were metal fire escapes required for residential buildings with three or more floors. Many of these fire safety regulations are still used nationwide today. Because of this the number of people who survived fires increased. In 1890 was a huge economic and transportation center and had a population of more than one million people. In this time only New York had a larger population. It also had many big tourist attractions that millions of people visited. Another positive affect was the world's first modern skyscraper. Chicago School Architects worked with businessmen to make a whole new style. The Home Insurance Building is a good example of this new style. 

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was a catastrophic event and it had some positive effects such as stricter building codes, improved fire safety, population growth, and a more organized fire station. The fire caused a lot of property damage and left thousands homeless, however there were some positive aspects and the great rebuilding left the city better than ever. In conclusion the Fire was a disastrous event but it also had positive lasting impact.