Over the span of just a few days in October 1871, the Great Chicago Fire devastated the city, claiming the lives of more than 300 people and leaving over 100,000 residents homeless.

Fall 1871: Chicago is a tinderbox. In three months, only an inch of rain has fallen. For days a strong, hot wind has blown in from the southwest. The city of wooden buildings and raised wooden ...

While the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 reduced much of the city to ashes, it ushered in a massive rebuilding effort. Some of ...