October 1871: Chicago is a tinderbox. In three months, only an inch of rain has fallen. For days a strong, hot wind has blown in from the southwest.

Most Americans know the story of the Great Chicago Fire. ... and cracked the 100,000 mark by 1860. By 1870, Chicago was closing in on 300,000 residents, ... American optimism, ...

The Great Chicago Fire destroyed 17,450 ... The Destruction and Resurrection of an Iconic American City,” in an email ... shortly after he was elected president in 1860. Days after the fire, ...

A Lincoln Park home that survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 will hit the market this March with an asking price of $2.4 million. The home, located at 2121 North Hudson Street, ...