Fire! The Great Chicago Fire at 150

FAIN: GI-278280-21

Chicago History Museum (Chicago, IL 60614-6038)
Kris Nesbitt (Project Director: September 2020 to November 2022)
Erica Griffin (Project Director: November 2022 to present)

Implementation of a permanent exhibition and accompanying public programs analyzing how the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 shaped the city.

The Chicago History Museum requests support for a landmark permanent exhibition revives the story of the Great Chicago Fire 150 years after it ravaged the city in 1871. CHM will draw on extensive resources to translate our humanities scholarship for children in our target age group of 7-13 and their adults. Comprehensive front-end research on serving family audiences in the history museum setting, an unparalleled collection of artifacts and primary source documents from the Great Fire, and institutional and scholarly expertise on a topic with proven appeal across generations position us for success. The exhibition, its programs and media will support three experience goals: 1) Connect visitors and program participants to the history and relevance of the Great Chicago Fire; 2) Inspire civic and social-emotional learning among youth through historical inquiry 3) Foster intergenerational engagement with intellectually and emotionally resonant historical content.

Associated Products

City on Fire: Chicago 1871 (Web Resource)
Title: City on Fire: Chicago 1871
Author: Heidi Samuelson
Abstract: CHM created a digital hub for the 150th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire. It includes an events calendar, educational resources, and more.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://www.chicago1871.org/about
Primary URL Description: Home page of City on Fire microsite, designed and managed by Chicago History Museum

The Great Fire's recovery embedded inequalities into Chicago's built environment (Article)
Title: The Great Fire's recovery embedded inequalities into Chicago's built environment
Author: Julius Jones
Abstract: A historian looks back on the city's rebirth after the destruction of 1871 and how monied interests worked to maintain divisions that still persist today.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://www.chicagobusiness.com/forum-ideas-chicago-fire/chicagos-post-great-fire-rebirth-maintained-inequalities
Access Model: Available without subscription
Format: Magazine
Publisher: Crain's Chicago Business

Chicago 00: 1871 Chicago Fire (Web Resource)
Title: Chicago 00: 1871 Chicago Fire
Author: Geoffrey Alan Rhodes
Author: Carl Smith
Abstract: This immersive resource provides a close look at a large (4'x40') painting of the Great Chicago Fire, created in 1891 as a study for a cyclorama attraction that was 10 times its size. Viewers can take a guided "tour" of the painting, exploring the important sites and overall geography of the fire.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: https://1871.chicago00.org/
Primary URL Description: Direct website for the 1871 Chicago Fire painting activation.

Virtual Field Trips for City on Fire! Chicago 1871 (Web Resource)
Title: Virtual Field Trips for City on Fire! Chicago 1871
Author: Chicago History Museum Staff
Abstract: CHM provides a number of off-site opportunities for students and teaching unable to travel to the galleries. The virtual learning opportunities are easily accessible on the Museum website.
Year: 2022
Primary URL: http://https://www.chicagohistory.org/education/field-trips/virtual-field-trips/

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