Chicago: houses predating the 1871 fire

These delightful houses in Chicago Northside must have been built in the mid 19th century.

The Great Fire of 1871 destroyed an area four miles long and nearly a mile wide, and made one third of the city's population homeless. I took a photograph of one of the many single-roomed houses built for the homeless, but it is little more than a shack and looks almost dwarfed by the four refuse bins outside the front door.

My principal memory relating to the houses pictured is that such buildings are extremely rare.


Today ends our visit to Chicago.