Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-10-26
CHICAGO.
ExacE Statement Of the Buildings De-
sfrOYed--What Remains Of the City
= Building PrOJects--ReaI Estate Sales.

streets, &c, is over 5000 acres. OF
this the South Division embraces 1868,
and the north Division 2,5331 The
total number of buildings in the city
was about 10000, of which about IT.
900 were on the south and 10000 on
the north side of the river, the best
and costliest-the ones in which the
citizens of Chicago took the most pride
being in he South Division, and
north of Jackson street. On the North
Side there were many elegant dwelling
hou, es, but they were nearly all east of
Wells street and north of North
avenue, those lying near the river. on
Bremen, Wesson, Larrahee, and other
streets, being of very inferior class
There we're also large sections or the
North Side in which there were no
houses The district between the North
Branch and the Ogden Canal, on one
side, and Lincoln Park and the old
cemetery on the other, were unoccu-
pied, and there WAS much vacant ground
further up on the North Branch.
ON THE SOUTH SIDE.
the fire destroyed nearly everything in
the First and Second Wards, and a
/ light portion in the northwest corner
of the Third Its southern limit on
Michigan avenue was Congress street !;
on Clark, Harrison and on Wells
street a point little below Polk
The area of the burnt district is $50
acres. There were DESTROYED $500
buildings, including 1,600 stores, 2S
hote.s, and so manufacturing establish
| 81 E00 fYyP n
out Of their homes, the greater number
of whom lived in the Second Ward,
west of State street, where they were
closely packed. The residents of the
First Ward generally lived in hotels OIL
furnished rooms, eXceptin the western
portion of the ward, where many
poorer families were congregated.
ON TIE NORTH SIDE.
1900 acres were burned over out o
$500 in that division, leaving intact
small portion of Kinzie street, near tht
river, and several houses north of Di
vision and west of Orchard, including
some of the better settled district u,
Clybourne avenue. The total numbe
of buildings destroyed was 10000, in
cludine over six hundred stores ant
one hundred manufacturing establish
E ments About 10000 persons wer
Z deprived of homes, and are sojournin,
on the West Side, or have left the city
Out of population of 77,0OO onl
about 1000 have houses which the
i, can claim as their own, and there al
Il not over 600 houses left standing, fo
/ the district burned over embrace
most Of the settled area of the Mort
e Division.
, WEST DIVISION.
While the amount of ground burr
over in the West Division was NJ
great-not much exceeding $50 acrr
and while much of that was occupie
le by lumber yards, etc, yet the peop
who did live there were very close
IS packed together, and between one al
two thousand people must have dive
there. The value of the houses d
a' stroyed was comparatively light, the
being nearly all frame buildings.
WHAT REMAINS.
1t appears, then, that out of the sc
900 buildings in Chicago, only abo
y 13, 500 have been destroyed, and tbs
- while $4,000 persons have been driv,
from their homes, over 5000 ha
er not been affected in that way. I'll
an The whole immense area of the We
a Division, with its miles of dwelIiI
houses, its stores, and business BLOCK
Y. is almost intact, while the South 81
,d retains the great Emass of its dwellil
r. houses OF the latter class, many ma
ufactories, and the fine business bloc
which have been erected on Twent
: second street and Archer avenue, a.
at other points, many of its fine
's churches, and the innumerable ma
ufactOries which abound in the Sis
iaI Ward.
ng When the smoke of the fire clear
ms away, and the people began 20 10
u about them, they were surprised
ed see what they never observed befoI
the number of fine blocks in the w,
- Division and the central part of t
=; South Side. These few remaizi
=. limestone fronts, relics of the archit
- tural splendor OF Chicago, were look
at with peculiar affection, and t
solid brick blocks, which have be
on looked at only with indifference,
is came valuable and noteworthy stru
lc ures. While the business hous
as driven south had, as general thir
ng to take refuge in private dwellings, a
to put out their signs on streets hi
mo- erto unpopuated by trade, those w
i1 moved across the river found comm
nat diOus stores where they were able
I'm at once recommence operations. 7
in large buildings on Randolph, Can
Madison and other streets, which h
not been rented, except for a trifi
las sum, suddenly became objects of co
ees petition and desire 1t then beca
ON apparent that the West Side wa
ma city in itself, and fully able to t,
cry care of itself; its residents had she
and stores, coal and lumber var
rks churches and manufactures. It |
sed miles of paved streets, severed a
cir lighted, and was deficient only so
&C. as water was concerned. 1t had
I'M only theaters in the city-the Gle
and various German halls-and hot
rts which, with changed names, are
in commodating the rush of people II
rts visiting the city. The buildings
IItb stroyed in this division by fire W
tho of little value, and almost enough v
VS. be put up this season to replace the
: There are, to be precise, about
churches 1,60O stores, 600 manuf
~ ~ turing establishments and worksho
my $500 saloons, and $500 dwell
1 houses still standing in the West
A"u vision, so there is, as yet, no reas