1871 Chicago mayoral election once. 1871 Chicago mayoral election In the Chicago mayoral election of 1871 Joseph Medill defeated Democrat Charles C. P. Holden, who was president of the Common Council. The election took place on November 7, a month after Chicago suffered the calamity of the Great Chicago Fire. Medill promised to enact strengthened building regulations and fire codes. He ran on the "Union-Fireproof" ticket. The administration of the election was challenging due to the fact that the majority of Chicago's voting records had been incinerated by the Great Chicago Fire, meaning that there were few resources to prevent individuals from voting more
Great Michigan Fire was burned over by the Thumb Fire, which followed part of the same path of the 1871 fires. In the mid-1830s logging began in Michigan and grew into a significant industry. Michigan was extensively logged for the Eastern white pine, measuring tall and exceeding in diameter, along with the hardwood forests. By 1854, sixteen sawmills were in operation, producing over of lumber. These operations left behind branches, bark and quantities of unused wood. The fires of October 8, 1871, started after a long dry summer. Most areas had had no rain in months, making the dried-up vegetation and logging debris,