Bond

Historical marker location:

9204 Bluff Road, Valmeyer, Illinois

( Marker is on Bluff Road (at milepost 3,100), just east of Fountain Road (Local Road 3200), on the right when traveling east.)

Marker installed: 1974

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was one of the most devastating fires in U.S. history. The fire destroyed much of the city, including over 17,000 buildings and left more than 100,000 people homeless. The fire started in a barn owned by Patrick and Catherine O'Leary, but the cause of the fire is still debated to this day.