141 years ago today... Great Chicago Fire!!! CM-13 Chicago Fire relic medal newp!!! Post something f
illini420
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The Great Chicago Fire burnt a large portion of the city to the ground October 8-10, 1871. I grew up in the Chicago area so I learned a great deal of the history how this great fire, although quite tragic and a major disaster, was one of the reasons for Chicago's greatness in the years after the fire. Chicago really did rise like a phoenix from the flames.
Following the fire, the bell from the Chicago Courthouse which had burnt down was melted and turned into various relics which were sold off as souveniers. I have seen miniature bells that were produced as well as medals which were struck by the U.S. Mint. 500 medals, designed by William Barber, were struck the following year in 1872 by the Mint with metal from that Courthouse bell. The medal is approximately 51mm in diameter and is listed as CM-13 in the Julian reference. I've wanted to acquire one of those pieces for sometime and recently I picked one up. It's a beautiful design, though this example does have a few scratches on the side with the phoenix. I went for this one in particular because it has a box (original?) with it that I thought added to the coolness of it a bit.
Here's a pic of the Courthouse Bell after the fire from the Chicago Historical Society website:
Anyone else have anything cool from the Great Chicago Fire?? Or anything cool from Chicago in general???
Following the fire, the bell from the Chicago Courthouse which had burnt down was melted and turned into various relics which were sold off as souveniers. I have seen miniature bells that were produced as well as medals which were struck by the U.S. Mint. 500 medals, designed by William Barber, were struck the following year in 1872 by the Mint with metal from that Courthouse bell. The medal is approximately 51mm in diameter and is listed as CM-13 in the Julian reference. I've wanted to acquire one of those pieces for sometime and recently I picked one up. It's a beautiful design, though this example does have a few scratches on the side with the phoenix. I went for this one in particular because it has a box (original?) with it that I thought added to the coolness of it a bit.
Here's a pic of the Courthouse Bell after the fire from the Chicago Historical Society website:
Anyone else have anything cool from the Great Chicago Fire?? Or anything cool from Chicago in general???
Michael Kittle Rare Coins --- 1908-S Indian Head Cent Grading Set --- No. 1 1909 Mint Set --- Kittlecoins on Facebook --- Long Beach Table 448
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I've been looking for one of those myself but haven't run across many. I do like this one.
Thanks for sharing. I hope to have one myself sometime.
Could both fires been caused by a meteorite/comet strike?
It is just a theory
Biela's Comet
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CoinsAreFun Toned Silver Eagle Proof Album
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Gallery Mint Museum, Ron Landis& Joe Rust, The beginnings of the Golden Dollar
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Nice piece!
<< <i>Does Rosemont count? >>
Sure, why not... the ANA considers Rosemont equal to Chicago
I guess some folks consider anything in IL north of I-80 Chicago
zoins, that would have been a sweet lot to win, getting 3 medals at once! Nice!!
Really cool match safe, Stefanie
Michael Kittle Rare Coins --- 1908-S Indian Head Cent Grading Set --- No. 1 1909 Mint Set --- Kittlecoins on Facebook --- Long Beach Table 448
Mrs. O' Leary, the cow, the water tower at the north end of Michigan Ave, all were local history taught in grade school at the time of my attendance. (Not sure thestories are true, but what's the harm in a good story, eh?)
Cool items pictured, learn something new everyday on this board.
Or a 25th anniversary medal for Hurricane Andrew (like the 25th anniversary medal for the fire show here)?
Should the Mint make a medal series for all of our national tragedies? "Collect them all!"
<< <i>It makes you think. Could we have a relic medal for a natural disaster like Katrina? "Struck from a piece of the Superdome, while supplies last." Wouldn't that be a bit unseemly?
Or a 25th anniversary medal for Hurricane Andrew (like the 25th anniversary medal for the fire show here)?
Should the Mint make a medal series for all of our national tragedies? "Collect them all!" >>
PCGS slabbed a bunch of World Trade Center recovery coins... that seems to be in a similar ballpark...
Michael Kittle Rare Coins --- 1908-S Indian Head Cent Grading Set --- No. 1 1909 Mint Set --- Kittlecoins on Facebook --- Long Beach Table 448
The Iroquois was a tinderbox that burned down opening day, taking nearly 700 lives with it, mostly women and children, on December 31st, 1903. How did that many people die? It was a veritable who's who of bad fire safety practice. Paid off inspectors, doors that opened inwards, confusing locks, padlocked escape doors to prevent people from sneaking in and, worst of all, a third-floor fire escape door that didn't quite yet have a fire escape installed.
<< <i>The Iroquois was a tinderbox that burned down opening day, taking nearly 700 lives with it, mostly women and children, on December 31st, 1903. How did that many people die? It was a veritable who's who of bad fire safety practice. Paid off inspectors, doors that opened inwards, confusing locks, padlocked escape doors to prevent people from sneaking in and, worst of all, a third-floor fire escape door that didn't quite yet have a fire escape installed. >>
Don't forget the extensive use of decorative wood trim; no extinguishers, sprinklers, alarms, telephones, or water connections in the building; an oversold house that day that left hundreds of people in "standing room" sections blocking aisles; fire exits covered with curtains; and an "asbestos" safety curtain made primarily from wood pulp.
It's a wonder anyone survived at all.
60 years into this hobby and I'm still working on my Lincoln set!
<< <i>Also the day of the peshtigo fire , the largest forest fire in history.
Could both fires been caused by a meteorite/comet strike?
It is just a theory
Biela's Comet >>
Interesting theory, and one that I rather like. However, it is one that has not found favor in the scientific community. A common cause for the fires in the Midwest can be found in the fact that the area had suffered through a tinder-dry summer, so that winds from the front that moved in that evening were capable of generating rapidly expanding blazes from available ignition sources, which were plentiful in the region.
60 years into this hobby and I'm still working on my Lincoln set!
Meteorite Magazine, March 2003
We are all familiar with the Great Chicago fire. On October 8, 1871, a fire was reported that quickly grew to legendary proportions. The statistics are as follows:
300 deaths
17,500 buildings destroyed
100,000 Chicagoans homeless
$400 million in damage
However, many outside of the fire service are not familiar with the Peshtigo, Wisconsin, fire. Peshtigo sits in the center of a region about 200 miles due north of Chicago that was destroyed by fire on the same night. It is possible that the Peshtigo fire is not well known because they did not have the benefit of the Chicago Tribune to dramatize it. The loss at Peshtigo was enormous:
1500 deaths
4 million acres of forest and prairie burned
Three towns totally destroyed Peshtigo; Sugar Bush; Williamsville
What did these fires have in common?
They occurred the same night.
They raged out of control within minutes.
They were very hot, fast-moving fires.
Both areas were experiencing abnormally dry conditions
Both occurred about the same time a large meteoroid may have been observed entering Earth’s atmosphere.
No real cause has been determined for either disaster. (Despite the Mrs. OLeary’s cow explanation.)
Fire fighters are taught that there are reasons for a fire to be large and widespread within a short period of time. These reasons can include several fires set in multiple locations or a very intense ignition source. There are many stories associated with the Peshtigo fire that suggest multiple fire fronts. One such report describes a large number of people headed for the river thinking that they would be safe on the other side. As they crossed the bridge they encountered people coming from the other direction thinking the same thing. A riot ensued on the bridge until it finally collapsed. This suggests two fire fronts on opposite sides of the river. In both fires, people had little time to escape. People found themselves cut off from escape. This is uncommon for open prairie but it does happen. However, I have a hard time imagining a situation with 1500 people being cut off from escape unless there are multiple fire fronts.
We all know that there has been too much hot air emanating from Chicago for the past 141 years - especially from the south side.
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