who caused the great chicago fire of 1871
Great Chicago Fire
The fire started at about 9 : 00 p.m. on October 8 , in or around a small barn belonging to the O'Leary family that bordered the alley behind 137 DeKoven Street . The shed next to the barn was the first building to be consumed by the fire , but city officials never determined the exact cause of the blaze . There has , however , been much speculation over the years . The most popular tale blames Mrs. O'Leary's cow , who allegedly knocked over a lantern ; others state that a group of men were gambling inside the barn and knocked over a lantern . Still other speculation suggests that the blaze was related to other fires in the Midwest that day . 
The fire started at about 9 : 00 p.m. on October 8 , in or around a small barn belonging to the O'Leary family that bordered the alley behind 137 DeKoven Street . The shed next to the barn was the first building to be consumed by the fire , but city officials never determined the exact cause of the blaze . There has , however , been much speculation over the years . The most popular tale blames Mrs. O'Leary's cow , who allegedly knocked over a lantern ; others state that a group of men were gambling inside the barn and knocked over a lantern . Still other speculation suggests that the blaze was related to other fires in the Midwest that day .
City officials never determined the exact cause of the blaze . The most popular tale blames Mrs. O'Leary's cow , who allegedly knocked over a lantern ; others state that a group of men were gambling inside the barn and knocked over a lantern .
The shed next to the barn was the first building to be consumed by the fire , but city officials never determined the exact cause of the blaze . The most popular tale blames Mrs. O'Leary's cow , who allegedly knocked over a lantern ; others state that a group of men were gambling inside the barn and knocked over a lantern .
City officials never determined the exact cause of the blaze. The most popular tale blames Mrs. O'Leary's cow, who allegedly knocked over a lantern; others state that a group of men were gambling inside the barn and knocked over a lantern.
The shed next to the barn was the first building to be consumed by the fire , but city officials never determined the exact cause of the blaze . The most popular tale blames Mrs. O'Leary's cow , who allegedly knocked over a lantern ; others state that a group of men were gambling inside the barn and knocked over a lantern .