DeKoven Street (Chicago)
Encyclopedia
DeKoven Street is a street in Chicago
, Illinois
named for John DeKoven, one of the founders of the Northern Trust Company
.
The Great Chicago Fire
started at 137 DeKoven Street, now numbered 558 West DeKoven, in a barn belonging to Patrick and Catherine O'Leary
. 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. The site of the barn now houses the Chicago Fire Department
training school, near the intersection of Roosevelt Road
and Canal Street, just southwest of the Loop
.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
named for John DeKoven, one of the founders of the Northern Trust Company
Northern Trust
Northern Trust Corporation is an international financial services company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It provides investment management, asset and fund administration, fiduciary and banking services through a network of 85 offices in 18 U.S. states and 12 international offices in North...
.
The Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about in Chicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S...
started at 137 DeKoven Street, now numbered 558 West DeKoven, in a barn belonging to Patrick and Catherine O'Leary
Catherine O'Leary
Catherine O'Leary was an Irish immigrant living in Chicago, Illinois in the 1870s. She was married to Patrick O'Leary...
. 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. The site of the barn now houses the Chicago Fire Department
Chicago Fire Department
The Chicago Fire Department, also known as the CFD, is the principal fire suppression, prevention, and rescue agency of Chicago, Illinois, under the jurisdiction of the mayor of Chicago. The Chicago Fire Department is the second largest fire department in the United States after the New York City...
training school, near the intersection of Roosevelt Road
Roosevelt Road
Roosevelt Road is a major east-west thoroughfare in the city of Chicago, Illinois, and its western suburbs. It is 1200 South in the city's street numbering system, but only one mile south of Madison Street...
and Canal Street, just southwest of the Loop
Chicago Loop
The Loop or Chicago Loop is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located in the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the historic commercial center of downtown Chicago...
.