The Great Chicago Fire: The Story of a City Destroyed but Not Forsaken; Cast Down yet Not in Despair

By William S. Stob

Few Chicagoans in 1871 imagined--and even less believed--that is was possible for their city to be destroyed by what became recognized as one of the greatest catastrophes in the history of the world. What started as a small barn fire in the city's West Division, soon spread to the South Division, destroying the entire central business district. Then leaping the Chicago River into the North Division, "the conflagration extended its terrible banners of flame until the right rested on the lake, the left on the river; then advancing in one awful charge, it literally swept that portion of the city from the face of the earth."The book has four main divisions: (1) "Expectations" gives a glimpse of Chicago's past and hopeful future, as well as the precursors of Chicago's fate; (2) "Conflagrations" looks at the days before the fire, its commencement in the West Division and decimation in the South and North Divisions, followed by an assessment of damages, stressing those that are irreplaceable; (3) "Proclamations" focuses on the city's resolve to rebuild, and how the Media created the legend of Mrs. O'Leary's cow; (4) "Reflections" examines whether the fire was a form of divine judgment as some claimed or a natural disaster.There are also two appendices, which contrast the experiences of a wealthy attorney and a common day-laborer. These men came from two very different social classes, but shared a common fate.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1520580312
• ISBN13: 9781520580319
• Release Date: February 2017
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 116 Pages
• Weight: 0.51 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.3" x 6.0"