On October 8, 1871, two catastrophes of almost apocalyptic proportions unfolded at the same time in the US, just a few hundred miles from one another.

These raged simultaneously, unbeknownst the people involved, and one would go into be the deadliest in American history, while the other would be one of the most destructive, bringing an entire city to its knees.

As always, fewer discretion is advised.

The 1870s were a time of great transformation for the United States.

The Civil War had just ended six years earlier and much of the nation was rebuilding during the Reconstruction era.

And while a new normal was being established as part of that process, particularly in the American South,

something just as defining was happening in the Midwest.

Rapid industrialization, economic

expansion, and significant technological advancements were driving an upsurge in the region as job

opportunities caused the population to boom. This was no more true than in Chicago, which was

establishing itself as a national symbol of progress. In 1850, the city was home to just 30,000 residents,

but just 20 years later, its population was pushing close to 300,000 people, as immigrants

flocked from all over to scoop up the surplus of jobs that resulted from industrial and

commercial growth. Its strategic location near Lake Michigan turned Chicago into a hub for

railroads and trade,

the new railroad system crisscrossed the city, establishing it as the largest interchange

in the country and its most important processing center for raw materials.

Public transportation was also cheap and helped expand the city's border to what it is today

at 234 square miles or 606 square kilometers, and still the third largest city in the

United States. About 220 miles or 550 kilometers to the north of Chicago as the crow flies,

the city of Pestigo, Wisconsin in the early 1870s was a stark contrast in terms of size

and population, but it also saw its own share of rapid growth.

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