Kerfoot Shanty

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Found in Tour: Heart of the Downtown, 2: The Northeast Loop
Landmark Images:
Kerfoot Shanty; P. B. Greene, Stereograph, 1871 (ichi-64267)

Kerfoot Shanty; P. B. Greene, Stereograph, 1871 (ichi-64267)

William D. Kerfoot settled in Chicago and established a successful real estate business, which he reopened in this shanty the day after the fire ended, declaring the modest structure "first in the burnt district."  He posted a sign that read in part, "All gone but WIFE CHILDREN and ENERGY."  His faith in himself and the city made him seem the embodiment of the city’s resilience and the undaunted determination of Chicago entrepreneurs.  The story of Kerfoot’s pluck was one of the most popular anecdotes in the many published accounts that appeared following the fire.  Kerfoot's "office" was at 89 (now 60 West) Washington Street.

All Gone But Wife, Children, and Energy; Hand-Painted Wooden Sign (ichi-64473)

All Gone But Wife, Children, and Energy; Hand-Painted Wooden Sign (ichi-64473)

Kerfoot's famous sign.  Union Park Place, in the West Division, is now Laflin Street.

Rebuilding Chicago; Cover Illustration from Every Saturday, December 23, 1871 (ichi-63129)

Rebuilding Chicago; Cover Illustration from Every Saturday, December 23, 1871 (ichi-63129)

Like the authors of verbal accounts of the fire, illustrators were not above taking some liberties with historical accuracy, whether by imagining how certain events might have been or by collapsing events into each other. The larger-scale reconstruction of Chicago was nowhere near underway when William Kerfoot first reopened his real estate business the day after the fire.