Mrs. O'Leary's Cow
and the Great Chicago Fire
This example was recommended by Kerri Dettmer.
Late last night when we were all in bed,
Mrs. O'Leary left her lantern in the shed.
Well, the cow kicked it over, and this is what they said:
"There'll be a hot time in the old town tonight!"
On 8 October 1871, a fire broke out at 137 DeKoven Street in Chicago, Illinois. The fire burned until October 10 destroying more than three square miles of the city and killing about 300 people. Another 100,000 people were left homeless by the fire.
Michael Ahern published an article in the Chicago Tribune reported that the fire began when a cow kicked over a lantern while it was being milked. Although he did not identify the cow's owner, Catherine O'Leary was soon identified as the guilty party. O'Leary denied that the incident took place as Ahern reported and would live under a cloud of suspicion for the rest of her life.
In 1893, Ahern admitted that he had fabricated the story.
Anti-Irish, anti-Catholic, and anti-immigrant sentiments in nineteenth-century America likely contributed to the acceptance of O'Leary being accepted as the scapegoat for startign the Great Chicago Fire.
Suggestions for Further Reading
Bates, Richard F. The Great Chicago Fire and the Myth of Mrs. O'Leary's Cow. McFarland, 2002.
Little, Darnell. "Dead Cows Tell No Tales." Chicago Tribune. 9 Nov. 1996.
"The O'Leary Legend." The Great Chicago Fire and the Web of Memory. Chicago Historical Society and Northwestern University. 2011.
