History of Chicago and south branches of the Chicago River, which flows through the city's downtown. The three white stripes represent the North, West and South sides of the city, Lake Michigan being the east side. The most famous and serious disaster was the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. On December 30, 1903 the "absolutely fireproof", five-week-old Iroquois Theater was engulfed by fire. The fire lasted less than thirty minutes; 602 people died as a result of being burned, asphyxiated, or trampled. The S.S. "Eastland" was a cruise ship based in Chicago and used for tours. On 24 July 1915—a calm, sunny day—the
La Salle Theater (Chicago) late 1940s. In the spring of 1950, the building was razed to make way for St. Peter's Church. In 1913, The La Salle Theater was one of 36 Chicago theaters listed in the "Chicago Daily News Almanac and Year-Book of 1914." General references Inline citations La Salle Theater (Chicago) The La Salle Theater was an influential musical, vaudevillian, and dramatic playhouse in two Chicago locations, first at 137 West Madison Street, which, until December 1902, had been named the Orpheon Music Hall. The La Salle operated at that location until 1910. Then it moved into a new facility at 110