The Great Chicago Fire: American Stories 

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Sunday, Oct. 6, at 1 PM
Monday, Oct. 28, at 4 AM

On Oct. 10, 1871, Chicagoans awoke to an unrecognizable landscape. Forty-eight hours earlier, there had been a vibrant city of ornate civic buildings, grand hotels and cultural institutions. Now, there was nothing but a smoking pile of rubble stretching for miles on end. Many wondered: could the city recover? And how did tensions between the city’s elite and the immigrant poor lead to the wrong person being accused of starting the blaze? 

This documentary tells the dramatic story of a defining moment in Chicago history, when the city faced destruction, rebuilt and laid the groundwork for a thriving future.