It’s now less than two months to the anniversary of one of America’s most devastating infernos in history. A hundred and fifty-five years ago, October 8, 1871, precisely, cities and towns across the Great Lakes region turned in for the time with no clue they’re just moments away from one of the most destructive nights in the nation’s history.
Chicago was experiencing rapid growth during that period, with streets crowded with wooden buildings, lumber yards, factories, and homes. In northeastern Wisconsin, months of limited rainfall had left forests dangerously dry. Then fire erupted in multiple places.
The October 1871 disaster, which became the most famous in America’s history, reportedly started around 8:30 p.m. in a barn belonging to Catherine and Patrick O’Leary on DeKoven Street in Chicago’s Near West Side. A powerful wind drove the flames through the surrounding neighborhood and toward the city’s lumber yards. Thanks to the wooden buildings and industrial supplies, the fire fed on an abundance of highly combustible material…