The Chicago of 1871 Was Built to Burn

It’s been 150 years and the origin story of the Great Chicago Fire still relies on Catherine O’Leary’s cow kicking over a lantern and setting the city ablaze. While there’s still some mystery around what actually happened that fateful October day, what is clear is that the bias against Irish Catholic immigrants served as a perfect scapegoat for the fire, and it parallels the way some populations are affected more negatively than others in natural disasters. Host Jacoby Cochran spoke with Julius Jones, curator of Chicago History Museum’s new exhibit “City on Fire: Chicago 1871,” about what the city was like in 1871 and who the 100,000 residents who lost their homes were.

Guest: Julius Jones — Assistant Curator, Chicago History Museum

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