Tricia+Dotson+Local+History+Project

== Home > Local History Project > Tricia Dotson - The Great Chicago Fire =

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[] This site includes a Chicago Tribune write up about the fire dated October 11, 1871.

[] This is an eyewitness narrative written by a young boy. It is short but insightful. I think that students will have success with it.

[] Horace White, editor-in-chief of the //Chicago Tribune//, wrote this eyewitness account of the most destructive fire in American history in a letter to Murat Halstead, the editor of the //Cincinnati Commercial//. The Chicago fire raged for two days and nights, covering over 2,100 acres, causing 200 deaths, destroying 17,450 buildings and leaving 70,000 homeless (out of a population of 324,000).

[] A poem about the Chicago Fire written by Thomas Clark in 1872.

[] On **November 4, 1871**, //Harper's Weekly// featured a cartoon about Chicago's Great Fire of 1871.

[] This is not a primary source - but starting on page 17 of this document is a very interesting timeline of the history of the Chicago Fire Department. I may create my lesson in a way that makes students reflect on the decisions that were made as a result of the Great Fire. This information may be useful for that purpose.

[] In November and December of 1871, the Board of Police and Fire Commissioners conducted an investigation in an attempt to determine the cause of the Great Chicago Fire. Mrs. O'Leary testified before the Board on November 24, 1871. This is her testimony

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[] This is a panaromic photo that shows how much of Chicago was impacted. I will have students use the NARA to analyze this.



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[] This image cannot be copied and pasted - but it allows viewers to enlarge it to analyze closer. The images depict the rebuilding effort of the people following the fire.

[] These images cannot be copied and pasted here - but they allow viewers to see the before and after images of buildings impacted by the fire.

[] A diagram of O'Leary's property.

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Learning Activity 5-D-1: Local Audio and Music
[] (This is just an interesting intro about music and the Chicago Fire - not an actual source. I included the paragraph that interested me) The Great Chicago Fire seemed to be quite the inspiration for songwriters in 1872. Probably, for good reason. It provided a way for them to commemorate historical events and natural disaster and, in no small measure, get their name and work in the public eye. In addition to the mournful [|"Out of the Flames,"]was [|"Chicago's glory lost, or Great Chicago fire"] by Judson Osborne, [|"Lost in the fire"] by Edwin Christie,[|"The Chicago fire"] by Eff Bea, and [|"Help the poor and perishing"] by John Hullah. The songs also helped to rally the country to come to Chicago's aid.

[] This is a seven minute documentary about the Chicago Fire created by the Weather Channel. I realize it is not a primary source - but it may be useful to my final presentation. They do a great job of summarizing what happened.

[] This is a link to sheet music written about the fire. It comes from the Library of Congress. Students could read it and fill out a NARA organizer.

[] More sheet music written about the Chicago Fire. Unfortunately, it also comes from The Libary of Congress. Therefore it does not count as a unique source but I kept it none-the-less. Just in case I decide to use it. [] On this site students can see the lyrics and listen to a recording of a song written about the Chicago Fire called, "Pity the Homeless"

[] This is a site that has a famous folk song called "There is a Tavern in Town" - written in the 1880's. Not sure if I will use it to show the culture in America - but posted here just in case.

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 * **Title** || Silver threads among the gold. Song and chorus. ||
 * **Publisher** || Charles W. Harris ||
 * **Publisher Location** || New York, NY ||
 * **Publication Date** || 1873 ||

Learning Activity 6-D-1: Local Video and Maps
[] This is not a primary source document but it is a really cool interactive map that students will be able to use to help them understand the extensive damage that was casued by the fire.

[] This is an extension of the interactive map that I included right above here. What I like about this is that it provides a detailed time line of events to accompany the interactive map. The timeline includes quotes that serve as good primray sources.

[] A map showing the "burnt district" after the fire.

[] This is a seven minute documentary about the Chicago Fire created by the Weather Channel. I realize it is not a primary source - but it may be useful to my final presentation. They do a great job of summarizing what happened.

[] This is a great map that shows the damage of the Chicago Fire. It also includes intersting articles about the statistics of the fire - including comparisons to similar disasters throughout the world. Exellent source.

[] This map shows land values of Chicago land in 1892. This could be interesting to have students analyze this information and then brainstorm ideas of how they would "rebuild" Chicago after the Great Fire.

[] This site is an interactive map that shows the progress of the Great Chicago Fire. It explains to viewers that it was not one single fire that caused so much damage. Instead it was a series of nine different fires.

Additional Notes and Resources
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