The Vokouns of Chicagoland

A person who's going to be famous usually drops a few clues by the time they're twenty-one. - Frank Gilroy The Chicago fire was a seminal event in Chicago history. In 1871 for three long August days, the booming city of Chicago burned like few other cities ever have. The conditions were hot and dry which doomed a city built primarily of wood. It is true that the first building consumed was the shed behind the O'Leary's house on DeKoven Street (remember DeKoven from the start of this blog?). Whether, the cow was to blame will never be known. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly three square miles of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 100,000 residents homeless which represented about one third of Chicago's population of the time. The Chicago fire rocked the insurance world with the revelation that the industry was unprepared to meet such a massive calamity. Fifty-eight insurance companies were driven into bankruptcy b