brandon castillo- on this date

October 8^th, 1871 marked the start of the Great Chicago Fire. The fire started in a barn owned by Patrick and Catherine O’Leary; a cow kicked a lantern inside the barn that started the whole fire. It would go on for two days and kill about 250 people, destroy 17,450 buildings, and cost $3 billion US dollars (in 2007, but was about $200 million in 1871 dollars). But, the city was very arid and already averaged two fires per day, so a huge fire was bound to happen some time.

At the time, this was a bad thing as it cost so much money to the city of Chicago and caused unreal devastation. But, in the long run, it would come to help the city as it was able to build a modern city on top of the ruins, exponentially increase population, and economic growth in the years following.

I appreciate the event as a turning point for Chicago but also believe that it could have turned south just as quick, they are just lucky they had great leaders at the time it occurred.