Extinguishing the Myths of the Great Chicago Fire
Wednesday, November 3, 2021
5 - 6 pm (CST)
Carl Smith, Adam Green, Julius Jones, and Liesl Olson
To celebrate Carl Smith’s book Chicago’s Great Fire: The Destruction and Resurrection of an Iconic American City and the Chicago History Museum’s milestone exhibition, City on Fire: Chicago 1871, this program brings together four acclaimed specialists on Chicago history for an important conversation at the fire’s 150th anniversary.
Smith will be joined by US historian Adam Green, Chicago History Museum Assistant Curator Julius Jones, and the Newberry’s Liesl Olson to unpack the geographical and social inequalities that doomed Chicago to burn and to reconsider the myth of the city rising from the ashes.
This event is cosponsored by CCC founding members Newberry Library and Chicago History Museum.
Photo caption: Photograph showing the aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire. From the C.R. photograph book at the Newberry Library.