6. The Fire, the Bomb, and the Fair, 1871–1893

This chapter analyzes three events that served both to define Chicago and reveal the city to the nation during the years between 1871 and 1893. It discusses the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the Haymarket Bombing of 1886, and the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. It also emphasizes on the enthralling stories of the three events that provided windows through which the late 1800s Chicago can be viewed by the world. The chapter talks about the fire, the bomb, and the fair that occurred within the context of late nineteenth-century apprehensions regarding Chicago. It also highlights how urban leaders managed the three events in order to combat the perception that cities were dangerous, immoral, and unnatural.