“This is the End of Chicago!"

    Bessie Bradwell, 13, staggered through the streets. Flames shot high into the air. Glowing embers and hunks of burning wood rained down.  

    It was October 8, 1871. The city of Chicago, Illinois, was on fire. Hundreds of buildings had already burned down. People filled the streets.  

    Bessie had lost track of her parents and brother. Soon, much of Chicago would be turned to ash.

    And Bessie was on her own.

    Thirteen-year-old Bessie Bradwell staggered through Chicago’s burning streets. Flames shot hundreds of feet into the air. Glowing embers and hunks of burning wood rained down. 

    It was October 8, 1871. The city of Chicago, Illinois, was on fire. Hundreds of buildings had already burned to the ground. Thousands of people filled the streets, their screams rising over the fire’s crackling roar.  

    Worst of all, Bessie had lost track of her parents and brother. Soon, much of Chicago would be turned to ash.

    And Bessie was on her own.

    Just hours earlier, Bessie was asleep in her family’s elegant home. About a mile away, Catherine O’Leary and her family were asleep too. They lived in a small house across the Chicago River. It had just two rooms for their family of seven.

    The Bradwell and O’Leary families lived very different lives. Bessie’s dad was a judge. He had been friends with President Abraham Lincoln. Bessie’s mom ran a newspaper.

    The O’Learys had no famous friends. Catherine and her husband, Patrick, could not read or write. Like many people in Chicago, they were immigrants from Ireland. But Catherine ran a growing business: a small dairy. Every morning, she milked her four cows and delivered fresh milk.

    Both families had high hopes for the future. So did the city of Chicago. In less than 40 years, it had gone from a small town to a city of 330,000 people. A new way of traveling—trains—powered the city’s growth. Nothing could stop it.

    Nothing, that is, but fire.    

    Just hours earlier, Bessie had gone to sleep in her family’s elegant home. About a mile away, across the Chicago River, Catherine O’Leary and her family were also asleep. Their plain, unpainted house had only two rooms for their family of seven.

    It seemed like the Bradwell and O’Leary families occupied two separate worlds. Bessie’s father, James, was a judge who had been friends with President Abraham Lincoln. Bessie’s mother, Myra, ran a newspaper.

    Unlike Bessie’s parents, the O’Learys didn’t have famous friends. Neither Catherine nor her husband, Patrick, could read or write. They were immigrants from Ireland—like tens of thousands of others in Chicago. But Catherine O’Leary ran a growing business: a small dairy. Each morning, she milked her four cows and delivered fresh milk.

    Both families had high hopes for the future, and so did the city of Chicago itself. In less than 40 years, Chicago had gone from a small town to a city of 330,000 people. A new mode of transportation—trains—powered the city’s growth. Nothing could stop it.

    Nothing, that is, but fire.    

    Today we are kept safe from most deadly fires. Smoke alarms wake us up. Fire trucks speed through streets. But this wasn’t the case when Bessie was young. And fire risks were everywhere. 

    Candles lit up rooms. Fires were used to cook food. One spark could set fire to an entire town. This was a problem because Chicago was built almost entirely out of wood—houses, streets, sidewalks, bridges. Not surprisingly, there were more and more fires as Chicago grew. 

    The summer of 1871 was far hotter and drier than normal. Only about an inch of rain fell between July and September. By October, fires were breaking out several times a day. On Saturday, October 7, a large fire destroyed four city blocks. 

    Nobody in Chicago could imagine that a far bigger disaster was just hours away. 

    Today we are kept safe from most deadly fires. Smoke alarms wake us up. Fire trucks speed through streets. But this wasn’t the     case when Bessie was young. And fire risks were everywhere.

    Candles lit up rooms. Fires were used for cooking. One spark could set fire to a whole town. And Chicago was built mostly from wood. Houses, streets, sidewalks, and bridges were all wooden. As the city grew, there were more and more fires.

    The summer of 1871 was very hot and dry. Between July and September, only about an inch of rain fell. By October, fires were breaking out several times a day. On Saturday, October 7, a large fire destroyed four city blocks.

    And a far bigger disaster was just hours away. 

    Nowadays, shrieking smoke alarms and speedy fire trucks do a lot to protect us from deadly fires—but this wasn’t the case when Bessie was young, and fire risks were everywhere.

    Rooms were lit with candles, and fires were used to cook food. One spark could set fire to an entire town. This was a problem because Chicago was constructed almost entirely out of wood—houses, streets, sidewalks, bridges. Not surprisingly, fires became increasingly common as Chicago expanded.

    The summer of 1871 was far hotter and drier than normal, with only about an inch of rainfall between July and September. By October, fires were breaking out several times a day. On Saturday, October 7, a large fire destroyed four city blocks.

    Nobody in Chicago could have imagined that a far bigger disaster was just hours away. 

    Catherine O’Leary had just fallen asleep on Sunday night, October 8. The house was quiet. Suddenly, she was woken up by the sound of her husband’s screams. 

    “Kate! The barn is afire!” 

    Catherine shot out of bed right away. She and Patrick hurried their five children to safety across the street. 

    Soon, much of the neighborhood was burning. Firefighters hoped that the fires wouldn’t cross the Chicago River. 

    By midnight that hope was gone.

    Catherine O’Leary was asleep on Sunday night, October 8. The house was quiet. She woke up when her husband screamed.

    “Kate! The barn is afire!”

    Catherine jumped out of bed. She and Patrick rushed their five children to safety across the street.

    Soon, much of the neighborhood was burning. Firefighters hoped the fires wouldn’t cross the Chicago River.

    By midnight that hope was gone.

    On the night of Sunday, October 8, Catherine O’Leary had just fallen asleep when she was woken up by the sound of her husband’s screams.

    “Kate! The barn is afire!”

    Catherine leaped out of bed, and she and Patrick hurried their five children to safety across the street.

    Soon, much of the neighborhood was burning. Firefighters hoped that the fires wouldn’t cross the Chicago River.

    By midnight that hope was gone.

    Across the river, Bessie and her family woke up to the smell of smoke. Right away, they knew their house was in danger. Quickly, Bessie’s parents made a plan. Bessie would go with her father to his office. They had to rescue his law books. Then the family would all meet at a park. 

    Bessie and her father hurried to the office. At the same time, fires in different neighborhoods joined together. The fire was now hundreds of yards wide and growing fast. 

    Bessie and her father made it to the office. But somehow, they were separated. Bessie found herself alone in the streets. She was caught in the middle of a crowd. 

    At last, Bessie saw two friends of her parents. They led her to a bridge. What was on the other side? There was no time to think. Bessie looked over her shoulder as they ran across the burning bridge. A man next to her screamed into Bessie’s ear: “This is the end of Chicago!”

    And that seemed true. By the time the fire was put out, it was late Monday night. One-third of the city had been destroyed. Three hundred people were dead. It wasn’t until Tuesday night that Bessie’s parents learned she was safe.

    Across the river, Bessie and her family woke up to the smell of smoke. They knew their house was in danger. Bessie’s parents made a plan. Bessie would go with her dad to his office. They had to save his law books. Then the family would meet at a park.

    Bessie and her dad went to the office. At the same time, fires in different neighborhoods joined together. The fire was now hundreds of yards wide. It was growing fast.

    Bessie lost sight of her dad. She found herself alone in the streets. She was caught in the middle of a crowd.

    At last, Bessie saw two friends of her parents. They led her to a bridge. What was on the other side? There was no time to think. They all ran across the burning bridge. A man near Bessie screamed: “This is the end of Chicago!”

    And that seemed true. The fire burned until late Monday night. One-third of the city was destroyed. Three hundred people were dead. It wasn’t until Tuesday night that Bessie’s parents learned she was safe.

    Across the river, Bessie and her family woke up to the smell of smoke and knew immediately that their house was in danger. Bessie’s parents quickly made a plan: Bessie would go with her father to his office and help him rescue his law books, and then the family would all meet at a park.

    As Bessie and her father hurried to the office, fires in different neighborhoods were joining together. The fire was now hundreds of yards wide and growing quickly.

    Bessie and her father made it to the office but somehow became separated. Bessie found herself alone in the streets, caught in the middle of a crowd.

    At last, Bessie spotted two friends of her parents, and they led her to a bridge. With no time to think about what was on the other side, they all ran across the burning bridge. Bessie looked over her shoulder as they ran, and a man next to her screamed into her ear: “This is the end of Chicago!”

    And that certainly seemed true. By the time the fire was extinguished late on Monday night, one-third of the city had been destroyed and 300 people were dead. It wasn’t until Tuesday night that Bessie’s parents learned she was safe.

1- Hot, Dry Weather
Chicago didn’t get much rain that summer. Fires spread fast when everything is dry.

2- Strong Winds
These winds quickly carried the flames north and east across the city.

3- Wood Everywhere
The houses, streets, sidewalks, and buildings were all made of wood, which burns easily.

1- Hot, Dry Weather 
Chicago didn’t get much rain that summer. Fires spread fast when everything is dry.

2- Strong Winds 
These winds quickly carried the flames north and east across the city.

3- Wood Everywhere 
The houses, streets, sidewalks, and buildings were all made of wood, which burns easily.

1- Hot, Dry Weather 
Chicago didn’t get much rain that summer. Fires spread fast when everything is dry.

2- Strong Winds 
These winds quickly carried the flames north and east across the city.

3- Wood Everywhere 
The houses, streets, sidewalks, and buildings were all made of wood, which burns easily.

    The O’Learys made it through the fire too. With help from their neighbors, they saved their house. But they would soon face another kind of disaster.

    Newspapers printed stories about the fire’s cause. There was no doubt it had started in the O’Learys’ barn. But reporters began to print lies.

    They said Catherine had been milking her cows when one of them kicked over a lantern. People soon believed the Chicago fire was Catherine’s fault.

    This was not true. Catherine had been asleep when the fire started.

    No one knows exactly what caused the fire. But the lie spread quickly. There was a lot of prejudice against immigrants at the time. Blaming Catherine was easy.

    Catherine never recovered from being unfairly blamed. 

    The O’Learys had also survived the fire. With their neighbors’ assistance, they had even managed to save their house. But the O’Learys were about to face another kind of disaster.

    In the days following the fire, newspapers printed stories about the fire’s cause. There was no doubt it had started in the O’Learys’ barn—but reporters began to print lies.

    They claimed that Catherine had been milking her cows when one of them kicked over a lantern. People soon came to believe that Catherine O’Leary was responsible for the Chicago fire.

    This was, of course, false. Catherine and her family had been asleep when the fire started.

    Nobody knows exactly what caused the fire. With the city so dry, the tiniest spark could have set the barn ablaze.

    Still, the horrible lie spread quickly, fueled by the hateful prejudice against immigrants that was common at the time.

    Catherine never recovered from being unfairly blamed. 

    As for Chicago, the first years following the fire were filled with suffering. But within 10 years, the city had been almost completely rebuilt. There were now laws to make it safer from fire. Today, Chicago is America’s third-largest city. 

    Bessie went to law school, got married, and ran her mom’s newspaper. She lived in Chicago until she died at age 68. She always remembered the man on that bridge—the one who said the fire was the end of Chicago. She told him, “No. Chicago will rise again.” And Bessie was right. 

    As for Chicago, the first years after the fire were hard. But within 10 years, most of the city was rebuilt. New laws made it safer from fire. Today, it’s America’s third-largest city.

    Bessie went to law school. She got married. She ran her mom’s newspaper. She lived in Chicago until she died at 68. She never forgot the man on that bridge, the one who said the fire was the end of Chicago. She told him, “No. Chicago will rise again.” And she was right. 

    As for Chicago, the first years following the fire were filled with suffering—but within a decade, the city had been almost completely rebuilt. There were now laws to make it safer from fire. Today, Chicago is America’s third-largest city.

    Bessie attended law school, got married, and ran her mom’s newspaper. She lived in Chicago until her death at the age of 68. She always remembered the man on that bridge—the one who said the fire was the end of Chicago. She responded, “No. Chicago will rise again.” And Bessie was right.