Fire

Time of Starting

This map is adapted from the one prepared to accompany H.A. Musham's article, "The Great Chicago Fire, October 8-10, 1871," which appeared in Papers in Illinois History and Transactions (Illinois State Historical Society, 1941). From the mass of often conflicting information available, Musham meticulously reconstructed the source and progress of the several different parts into which the wind-blown fire divided itself as it advanced through the city. The North Division fires continued beyond the limits of the map to Fullerton Avenue. A naval architect and research engineer, Musham was the son of Chicago Fire Marshal W.H. Musham, who had fought not only the Great Chicago Fire but also, as a young volunteer, the fire of 1857.