When the Great Chicago Fire broke out on October 8 , 1871 , news of this , one of the worst conflagrations to ever strike an American city , reached company officials Henry Willing and Levi Leiter , who decided to load as much of their expensive merchandise as possible onto wagons and take it to Leiter 's home , which was out of the path of the fire . The Company 's drivers and teams were ordered out of the barns . Horace B. Parker , a young salesman , rushed to the store 's basement , broke up boxes , and built a fire in the furnace boiler so that the steam-powered elevators could be operated . These employees worked feverishly through the night to remove vital records and valuable goods to safety
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Marshall Field's