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the claim

The Great Chicago Fire started in a barn.

the verdict
CONTESTED PARTIAL
Recorded sources
4 sources for · 1 against

Counts group repeated records of the same source within each side. They do not measure evidence strength or source independence.

Is it true that the Great Chicago Fire started in a barn?

Partly. Several reference sources state the Great Chicago Fire began in or around the O'Leary family's small barn, though some frame this as legend or a disputed account. One scholarly paper argues the barn-and-cow origin story was invented by a newspaper report, so the evidence only partially supports the claim.

Verdict: CONTESTED PARTIAL · 4 sources for, 1 against · Last checked

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Evidence for · 4
Great Chicago Fire
Get citation
Great Chicago Fire. (n.d.). en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chicago_Fire

Evidence against · 1
Mrs. O'Leary's Cow and Other Newspaper Tales about the Chicago Fire of 1871.
1985
Get citation
Fred, F. (1985). Mrs. O'Leary's Cow and Other Newspaper Tales about the Chicago Fire of 1871.. eric.ed.gov. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED257108

See more details
More for · 3
Great Chicago Fire begins | October 8, 1871 | HISTORY
Get citation
Great Chicago Fire begins | October 8, 1871 | HISTORY. (n.d.). history.com. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/october-8/great-chicago-fire-begins

GREAT CHICAGO FIRE. (Hawera & Normanby Star, 10 June 1922)
1922
Get citation
GREAT CHICAGO FIRE. (Hawera & Normanby Star, 10 June 1922). (1922). paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HNS19220610.2.61

Explaining the Evidence
2021
Get citation
Lagnado, D. A. (2021). Explaining the Evidence. play.google.com. https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=OiJJEAAAQBAJ&source=gbs_api

Receipt History
held for human review18 Oct 2026
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