“The Great Chicago Fire”
Presented by Raymond Johnson
The night of October 8, 1871 was warmer and dryer than usual and Chicago had just recovered from a significant fire the night before. A spark in the barn of the O’Leary family on DeKoven Street, a strong southwest wind, and an exhausted fire department all added to a perfect storm of wood and flame that would destroy over one-third of the young, growing city of Chicago. What was it like to live through this inferno? Do we know what started it even today? How and why was Chicago able to survive the calamity? Were there other fires linked to the Great Fire? Where can you find reminders of the fire in the city today?
Ray was born in Chicago and has been a life-long resident of the Chicagoland area. He is also a life-long enthusiast of Chicago history and is a local historian, genealogist, author and lecturer. He is a former criminal investigator and police instructor with the West Chicago Police Department in Du Page County and upon leaving police work, started his own historical and genealogical research company at www.historycop.com , He has provided research for many other authors, attorneys, family historians, and television shows. He has appeared as a Chicago history expert on The History Channel, Discovery ID, The Travel Channel, and BBC. He has been featured locally for his research on WGN, CBS, ABC, and in various publications. He has written three books on Chicago history and writes a Chicago History Blog for ChicagoNow which is owned by the Chicago Tribune. Four years ago he started, “Friends of The White City” which is a 501c3 dedicated to educating the public on the significance of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.