Did the Great Chicago Fire really start with Mrs. OLearys cow?
Did the Great Chicago Fire really start with Mrs. O’Leary’s cow? In all of history, no cow is more infamous than Mrs. O’Leary’s. The farm animal was accused of kicking over a lantern and starting the Great Chicago Fire on Oct. 8, 1871. The fire, despite its humble origins in a barn, was ferocious. It destroyed 3.5 square miles of the city and left 120 people dead and thousands more homeless. Losses were estimated at $200 million [source: Gove]. Mrs. O’Leary lived with her husband and five children at 137 DeKoven Street in Chicago. The O’Learys were a poor family; Mr. O’Leary worked as a laborer, and Mrs. O’Leary kept her infamous cows in a backyard barn and sold thei
