once upon a time there was a cow standing on the sidewalk on oak street, near rush. The cow was hungry and she eagerly chewed on a bale of hay.
this was in 1971 and my father, herman, was nearby, sitting with his friend, the journalist robert cromie. they had collaborated on a new book, “the great fire: chicago 1871” (g.p. putnam’s sons) and inside the old oak street bookstore they signed copies that people presumably took home and read .
You are reading: Great chicago fire books
It’s a very good book, as was Cromie’s solo work, “The Great Chicago Fire” from 1958 (McGraw-Hill). There have been plenty of good books about the fire, including tidbits like the charming 2020 comic, “Comic Books: The Great Chicago Fire,” by writer Kate Hannigan and illustrator Alex Graudins.
[ flashback: the great chicago fire ]with the 150th anniversary of the fire approaching on October 1. 8, I am writing a six-part Sunday series on the fire. On October 3 there will be a special section of the magazine in which some of my colleagues will give you even more.
perhaps this is enough to satisfy your curiosity or appetite for fire facts. you can, of course, check the internet, but you may find it a dizzying experience. therefore, here is a very subjective list of ideas for further exploration and illumination.
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kogan-cromie’s book is very good, as was cromie’s previous fire book.
But even better is “The Great Chicago Fire: The Destruction and Resurrection of an Iconic American City” (Atlantic Monthly Press). I wrote, when the book was published in 2020, “simply put, (it is) the best book ever written on fire, a work of profound scholarship by (northwestern university professor) carl smith that reads with the narrative blunt of a good novel. puts the fire and its aftermath in a historical, political, and social context. it’s an eye-opening delight to read.”
smith and I are scheduled to have a public conversation during the upcoming Printer’s Row Lighting Festival in September. 11-12.
Also of note “The Great Chicago Fire: In Eyewitness Accounts and 70 Contemporary Photographs and Illustrations” (Dover Publications, 1970) by David Garrard Lowe.
and ricardo f. bales’ “the great chicago fire and the myth of mrs. o’leary’s cow” (mcfarland and company, 2002). bales, a lawyer by trade and a historian by passion, investigated history and his findings in 1997 forced ald. edward burke (14) to testify at a city council fire and police committee meeting, “mrs. Kate O’Leary and his cow are innocent.” This book tells the whole story.
don’t you like to read? Watch “chicago stories: the great chicago fire,” produced and written by peter mark with wttw-ch executive producer dan protess. 11. First aired a couple of years ago, it’s an entertaining narrative, embellished with excellent photography and clever dramatic re-enactments. he is also quite clever in his choice of talking heads. They include the ever-engaging Tim Samuelson, who recently retired as City Historian; Donald Miller, the author of the wonderful “Century City”; historians Ellen Skerrett, Dominic Pacyga, and Liesl Olson; teacher/writer bill savage; and nancy connolly, a chicago-area descendant of mrs. o’leary’s. they and others spice up the show with intelligence and wit.
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For old time’s sake, I could stroll through the building at North Avenue and Clark Street, which I first visited over half a century ago as a child and was known as the Chicago Historical Society to revisit the diorama. of fire is hidden and old-fashioned.
The building is now the Chicago History Museum and, fittingly, marks this 150th anniversary of the fire with an interactive exhibit, “City on Fire: Chicago 1871,” designed specifically for families. opens, appropriately, on Oct. 8.
the chm also has an excellent, intelligent and deeply informative website (“the great chicago fire and memory web”) created in 2011 in collaboration with the technology department of the northwestern university information for academic and research technologies
You can also visit the chicago architecture center, “commemorating 150 years of post-conflagration resilience” with a series of programs touching on the myths and “untold stories surrounding this moment crucial part of the city’s history. .”
You will surely hear of other activities and events designed to celebrate or commemorate the fire. There are even a couple of tavern owners I know who have been talking about making special cocktails to offer in “honour” of the anniversary. good luck with that.
rkogan@chicagotribune.com
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