FUN WITH MAPS – ISSUE 2022-181 DAILY FEATURE:

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (October 11, 2022) – In Issue 2022-181 of Steve Kovacs Fun with Maps, we add fuel to the fire in the argument blaming the cow.

The Cow that Kicked Over the Lantern

The Great Chicago Fire was finally put out on October 11, 1871.  It raged for three full days, destroying a large fraction of Chicago and leaving about 100,000 homeless.

While the origins of the fire were not determined, the common belief is that a cow belonging to Mrs. O’Leary kicked over a lantern on the evening of October 8, and thus setting the barn on fire.   Then, due to the combination of prolonged very dry and hot conditions, plus the dominant use of wood for building structures, the fire spread rapidly.

Today, one has to go to the Lincoln Park Zoo located just north of the Loop and just north of the “Burnt Districts” to see a bovine, but the zoo doesn’t seem to have a domestic cow bovine residing there…

Here is a pocket map of Chicago, highlighting the Burnt Districts in red.  The map was issued the year after the fire by McDonald, who probably didn’t have a farm in Chicago…

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.