Causes of the Great Chicago Fire
Mrs. O'Leary's Barn
What caused the fire to finally stop on the morning of Tuesday October 10th?
It rained
What is the biggest city in Illinois?
Chicago
What about the buildings in the city made them vulnerable to fire?
- Made of wood
- Clustered close together
Describe the state of the buildings directly after the fire.
Burnt, rubble, still slowly smoldering
Why did settlers in Illinois want to trade animal furs? What did they do with these furs?
Make blankets, clothes, hats, etc.
What about the weather in the city during October 1871 made it vulnerable to fire?
- Very windy
- Very little rain
After the fire, a law was passed saying buildings needed to be made out of what kind of materials?
Fireproof materials
Name a reason the Native Americans don't live in Illinois anymore.
- Fighting between the British and French forced them out
- Deadly diseases
- Settlers getting rid of Native American culture
What did these people do that led to the fire growing?
- Firefighters:
- Army General Sheridan:
- Bonus points if you can name both!
- Firefighters: Went to the wrong location at first
- General Sheridan: Blew up buildings on Michigan Avenue
Tell something that people had to do after the fire to try to repair and move forward.
- Rebuild with fireproof materials
- Search for missing friends and family
- Help homeless citizens
- Build the city in an organized grid
Name a group that had control over the territory of Illinois before it became a U.S. state.
Native Americans, French, British
Is it certain that Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over a lamp? Explain how you know.
No, we do not know this for certain. It is likely that Mrs. O'Leary was blamed for this due to being an Irish immigrant. There are other theories about how the fire started.
Describe the city of Chicago today, more than 100 years after the fire.
Booming, very populated, center of architecture, lots of skyscrapers
What is the name of the Native American tribe that Illinois was named after?
Illiniwek