The Burning of Chicago

A contemporary view capturing Chicago’s destruction during the Great Fire.

This striking view of downtown Chicago captures the chaos and destruction of the fire that swept through the area between October 8-10, 1871. Throngs of refugees crowded the shores of Lake Michigan, desperate to escape the towering inferno that engulfed the Loop.

By the time the last embers sputtered out, an estimated 200+ people were killed, 90,000 left homeless, and approximately $250 million in property damage was sustained by the beleaguered city. Homes, churches, and warehouses were immolated by the hundreds – nearly 17,000 buildings in all were lost.

The print was published in New York by the prominent firm of Currier & Ives in 1871. Images such as this, produced in the days and weeks immediately following the fire, were instrumental in generating a massive charitable response from around the world. Donations flooded in to help rebuild the city, and a third-party organization, the Chicago Relief and Aid Society, was set up to distribute money, food, and material.