Catherine " Cate " O'Leary ( nee Donegan ; March 1827 – 3 July 1895 ) was an Irish immigrant living in Chicago , Illinois who became infamous when it was alleged that an accident involving her cow had started the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 . Born Catherine Donegan , she and her husband Patrick O'Leary had three children , one of whom , James Patrick O'Leary , ran a well-known Chicago saloon and gambling hall
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Catherine O'Leary