The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 started in the barn behind the cottage of Patrick and Catherine O'Leary at 137 ( after 1909 , 558 ) DeKoven Street . Although the popular story is that a cow kicked over a lantern to start the fire , Michael Ahern , the '' Chicago Republican '' reporter who created the cow story , admitted in 1893 that he had made it up because he thought it would make colorful copy . At the time , the street was in a less prosperous neighborhood of Chicago
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
DeKoven Street (Chicago)