An earlier version of this article appeared in the FOGCutter, Vol. 7 Issue 3, Sept. 2003
The fire that swept through Chicago from October 8-9, 1871 left approximately 100,000 people homeless, but how many died in the fire itself?
This is a question that we receive at the reference desk with some frequency.
Unfortunately, there is not one definitive answer. Estimates of the death toll range from 150 to 300 to more. Pinning down this number difficult due to several factors. The first is that most of the victims were burned so far beyond recognition and according to some reports, they were even left where they fell to be covered up by builders later. Most of the victims that were transported to the morgue (about 120) were never identified due to their condition.
Another reason for the vague numbers is that many of those who survived the fire and were left homeless left the city. Many of the homeless followed the train lines that headed to the suburbs and sought refuge there. This migration may sometimes be the source of the family legend that someone died in the fire. Ancestors will suddenly disappear from Chicago records in 1871, but they may resurface elsewhere.
One of the few places where names of some of the victims can be found is in the Chicago Tribune printed in the days immediately after the fire. People posted notices about lost and found people, and some names of the identified dead are published. Several years ago, transcripts of these lists were posted at the Flannery Chicago website. The site is no longer maintained, but it is archived by the Internet Archives.
The Newberry has the microfilm of the Tribune for those dates (call number Microfilm 605) as well as the Proquest digital archive of the Tribune, which now includes October 1871. The quality of the microfilm and digital images is not very good, but the papers make for a fascinating read.
There are a number of rich online sources for general information about the fire, including the Encyclopedia of Chicago History, PBS's American Experience, and the Chicago Historical Society.
Other accounts of the fire and its aftermath can be found in our card catalog at the Newberry under the subject heading:
Chicago, Fire 1871
and in the online catalog under:
Great Fire, Chicago, Ill., 1871.
Some of these items are firsthand accounts from people who were there, other items detail the relief work done by the Chicago Relief and Aid Society in the years after the fire. Feel free to stop by someday and brush up on your Chicago history!
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