Description:
Broadside newspaper extra, printed recto only, approx. 12-3/4 x 7-1/2 inches; matted. [Graff 1271] WITH a contemporary, hand-colored map of Chicago, by Rufus Blanchard, showing the burnt district.This extremely scarce newspaper extra – one of only two "extras" published in Chicago on that day — was printed sometime during the afternoon or early evening of Monday, October 9. The Great Chicago Fire had begun the night prior, at approximately 9pm, which was, according to the paper, "caused by a cow kicking over a lamp in a stable in which a woman [i.e. Mrs. O'Leary] was milking." This unsubstantiated myth, blaming a poor, Irish Catholic immigrant, would persist for decades. Indeed, the very next day they switched to a cigarette as the cause!
The newspaper gives an account of the areas under flame, detailing many of the buildings already destroyed, including the City Water Works, the Armory, Gas Works, Post Offices, newspaper offices, court houses, breweries, churches and more: "The scene of ruin and… Read More
