Fire Prevention Week Oct. 6-12: Recognizing our Volunteer Fire Department

This information comes from the Sun’s Centennial Edition. It is part of Virginia Strain’s Peek at the Past. The column is from 1981 and has been up dated somewhat, but the information stops with 1981.

On Dec. 5, of this year our fire department will be 134 years old. For many years the men have given their time, and endangered their lives, to protect the homes and business houses in El Dorado Springs.

Many of us take them for granted, and without realizing they are a volunteer fire department. We don’t really have to worry about protecting our property, anytime day or night, because they intend to do this duty, as promised. They are a most important group of men.

After the town was founded by the Hightowers, wooden frames buildings sprang up about the park area. In the early days there was no fire department, no hose carts, no water mains and no hydrants. When a fire broke out, the citizens formed bucket brigades from the nearest well, and usually fought a losing battle. As more buildings were erected, fire dangers mounted.

On April 30, 1882, El Dorado had a tragic fire. A restaurant owned by L.T. Brasher caught fire. After having escaped from the burning structure, Mr. Brasher ran back into the building to recover his money. He was burned to death. The bucket brigade tried, but to no avail, to stop the fire. All was lost.

By 1887, El Dorado had grown into a fair sized city and still was without fire protection. Fires were numerous and citizens were fast becoming aware of the fact that something had to be done.

A flue inspector was hired by the city to check homes and business houses for bad chimneys and faulty flues. This was an effort to cut down the fire toll.

Then on Dec. 5, 1892 through the efforts of the mayor and council, a fire company was organized. It was called “The Mascot Hook and Ladder Company.”

On Dec. 10, the city bought its first fire apparatus, “The Howe Combined Chemical and Water Engine No. 4,” and proper equipment for the sum of $650. The engine was stored in Redfords and Billingsley Livery Barn on S. Main St. Also, due to the many fires, the council passed ordinance No. 53, condemning the construction of any unsafe buildings in the city limits.

On Nov. 6, 1893, the city council voted to allow the fire company members $250 a year for their services.

On Jan. 5, 1894, the city clerk was ordered to purchase the following equipment: 200 feet of hose, 6 fire helmets, 6 rubber coast, 2 smoke protectors, one pull down hook chain, plus tow ropes for the ladders.

Morgan Ryan was appointed the new fire chief. He in turn requested the city to order 6 pair of rubber boots for the fire company. This was done.

On Nov. 7, 1895, a new fire company was organized. They offered at attend all fires in the city for $150 a year. The members were: Sam Rollins, T.J. Cock, Wm. Shields, Loren Broughton, Joe Dawson, William Washburn, A.J. Andrews, George Patrick and C.M. Snelling. On Nov. 19, 1896, the city offered to pay anyone, who would furnish a team to take the hose cart to fires, $1 per trip.

On April 17, 1898, El Dorado had one of its early disastrous fires when a row of six frame buildings on the east side of S. Main St. were wiped out. The business houses destroyed were: A.C. Kern’s Meat Market, l.H. Decker’s Poultry House, J.W. Spencer Grocery, where the fire started, Henry Wolfe’s Café, Cliff Harrows Barber Shop and J.S. Greer and Company Meat Market. Loss was $2,175. The buildings stood about where ElDo 5 & 10, Nedra’s, Shoemaker’s and Evan’s Stores are today. The buildings were owned by T.F. Snodgrass and Charles Snelling.

On Dec. 22, 1898, the McCrary Building burned. It was occupied by Kerr’s Drug Store. The upstairs was occupied by Doctors Hill and Edgar. The loss was set at $3,800. It stood where Davison’s Show Store if today.

On Feb. 23, 1899, another disastrous fire hit the downtown area. A row of old wooden buildings, owned by the Cruce Brothers that stood on the west side of N. Main, went up in flames. They were occupied by J.B. Nesbett, city collector, J.W. Dunham’s Restaurant, Dry and Bell Real Estate office, Dan Blystone’s Butcher Shop and Jennings Barber Shop. The crowd that gathered, and the fire department boys, removed most of the contents of the blazing structure. There was no insurance on any of them.

By 1901, El Dorado had grown to such an extent that the need of a waterworks and sewage system was of utmost importance. So, the citizens were asked to vote on this issue. The vote was a huge success. Not only did this put city water in homes and business establishments, but provided ample water to fight fires, which was becoming a factor of great concern to the citizens.

But, before the system was completed the city was visited by several more bad fires. One being the Ringer Building, owned by J.W. Dunham. Its occupants were Mum Ryan’s Café and a barbershop. The fire company was at the scene on the double. The engine worked splendidly and the flames were kept from spreading to adjoining buildings. Two more frame buildings on N. main St. were destroyed on the evening of Aug. 8, 1901. This fire started in the rear of the Arcade Hotel, run by L.L. Davidson, destroying the hotel and a one story frame building on the south, occupied by C.A. Claunch Poultry House. The loss was set at $2,600.

On Jan. 4, 1902, one of the most destructive and disastrous fires in El Dorado’s history, up to that time, occurred when the new Cruce Block, described as the most beautiful and imposing structure in the city, and the two story brick building occupied by the Bank of El Dorado were completely destroyed. It was thought for a time the Hallenbeck Building would go too but members of the fire company climbed to the roof and fought the fire with buckets of water passed up from the rear of the building. Fireman John Humprey was credited with saving the Hallenbeck Jewelry Store building and was presented with a gold watch chain and charm for his heroic endeavor. Arson was suspected in this fire and the Cruce Bros. offered a $250 reward for the capture of the suspects. The loss was set at $30,000. Businesses destroyed were Snodgrass Drug Store, J.H. Davidson Law Office, W.E. and J.W. Dawson Doctors Office and X-ray equipment, D. Walker Smith’s Law Office, Dr. A.O. Thilenus Dental Office, Bank of El Dorado, J.R. Crell City Attorneys Office and C.R. Parrett Dry Goods Store. Damage to the Hallenbeck Store was $300.

On July 16, 1902, the city ordered a new hose cart at a cost of $100 plus 600 feet of new Bay State hose. In September of 1902, a new fire company was organized. It consisted of ten men. Members were: Claud Clasby, chief; Charles Neff; C.P. Ryan; Cruce Mason; Frank Doud; Charles Utterson; Charles Clasby; Lloyd Knowlton; Paul Huff and Dr. Thilenus.

The city now had water and much of the hardships of fighting fires were deleted. However, that fact didn’t seem to stop the fires. In 1903, the El Dorado Canning Factory at the depot was destroyed, with a loss of $7,000. Arson was suspected in the fire That year the firemen were paid $5 each per year for their services, plus $2 per fire is water was used, $1 when no water was used. Firemen that year were: S.J. Hall, C.P. Ryan, Cruce Mason, Chas. Neff, Clarence Bennett, Lloyd Knowlton, Cooper Ross, Chas. Utterson and R.E. Armour.

By 1906, some new faces appeared on the scene. Arthur Willett became chief and O.E. Swearingen and Dudley Peal were added to the fire company. The department spruced up a bit, adding new smoke protectors, a trumpet and two new ladders. J.L. Davenport was instructed by the city to order steel to make a triangle for a new fire alarm and two wrenches were made for the hydrants by Morton Brothers.

El Dorado was growing and prospering. It had electric lights, water and sewage and a good fire company with ample equipment to fight even the most vicious fires. Things were looking up.

Then, tragedy struck again. On Aug. 15, 1907, the El Dorado Electric Plant, located at the Wonder City Lake, was destroyed by fire and the city was again resorting to the old coal oil lamps. It wasn’t until September 1909 that El Dorado  again had electric lights. But through all the mess our fire department was still on duty making every effort to protect the city against fire destruction. L.E. Knowlton was appointed Fire Chief and the members of the company were being paid $7 each per year, for their work.

Another fire of some magnitude occurred in 1907 when three frame buildings on W. Spring St. were destroyed. N.H. and Richard Cruce owned one and J.T. Shaw the other two. They were replaced by the owners. Those buildings stood where Smythia’s Barber Shop, Custom photographers and the Swap Shop are today.

On Friday, Oct. 2, 1912, at 3:30 a.m. another truly disastrous fire occurred. The fairly new Cruce Block, on the northeast corner of Spring and Main Streets, was consumed by fire. In this fire Richard Cruce, a brother of N.H. Cruce, was burned to death. He was a cripple and occupied a room of the second floor of the building. Dick Childs and a number of other firemen made a frantic effort to reach him, but to no avail. Had it not been for the heroic efforts of the volunteer firemen, the entire east side of N. Main would have been destroyed. The total loss of this fire was placed at $50,000. Businessmen who lost everything in this one were S.M. Snodgrass and Company, El Dorado Variety Store, G.W. Smith owner, W.W. Haynes Photograph Gallery, Drs. W.E. and J.W. Dawson, J.W. Montgomery, dentist, C.L. Adams Restaurant, The J.W. Dunham Building, S.M. Snodgrass Building (first door east of El Dorado Bank), C.C. Whipple Building, which housed a pool hall, and Mrs. W.M. Russell’s Building which housed Bennett and Mitchell Plumbing Shop. The heat was so intense that every window light across the street west of the Cruce Building was broken out.

On Oct. 14, 1914, the Palace Theatre burned to the ground. It was located on W. Spring St. about where the rental houses are now. It was owned by N.H. Cruce. The fire department battled it for two hours, keeping the fire confined to the theatre, saving Hill Bros. Garage and W.A. Cooke’s residence from being destroyed. The loss was set at $6,000.

By 1915, the city had 21 fire hydrants. It was admitted that this was not enough due to the fact that the town was growing and fire protection was becoming more important. So, plans were made to dig another deep well. A bond issue to dig this well and update the water system was put before the voters. It passed by a large majority and work began. The new well was dug on the northwest corner of the Park. Nineteen fire hydrants were ordered and procedures on updating the water and fire department continued.

In September of 1917, the Grand Central Hotel, on the northeast corner of Spring and St. James, was damaged by a second fire. This one damaged it to the extent that it had to be torn down. It was one of the oldest building in the city at that time.

Also in 1917, two more business buildings in the downtown area lost to the fire demon. The Midland Café, run by E.B. Hall, was badly damaged on July 5; and before that, a single story frame building, erected about the time the town was founded, burned on March 29. It stood on N. Main about where the sports store is now. It was occupied by D.C. Graves Sewing Machine Shop.

In 1918, a fire damaged the upstairs area of the City Court House on the southwest corner of Broadway and Kirkpatrick. Most of it was saved, however, and Mr. W.F. Fowble was given the contract to replace the damaged area.

On Feb. 27, 1919, the South School Building burned. The firemen were prompt on arrival but low water pressure made it impossible to throw water to the top of the two story structure. This building was erected in 1898. It was formerly occupied by the Old El Dorado Springs College. It consisted of ten rooms and housed the four high school grades. That same month a fire broke out in the rear of the Five and Ten Cent Store run by Mrs. J.A. Adcock. That fire caused $3,000 worth of damage. It stood where Davison’s Shoe Store now stands.

The on March 24, 1921, El Dorado had another dangerous and costly fire. The Roll and Newman Garage on the northwest corner of Main and Hightower was destroyed. The building contained eleven or more cars and a number of barrels of oil, which created a dangerous and intensely hot fire. Exploding has tanks and burning oil and grease cracked windows on the north side of the Christian Church and charred the whole side of the structure. The south side of the park Hotel was also damaged by the heat. The fire department fought this blaze all night to keep it from taking a toll of more buildings on the east side of the street. Grateful businessmen took up a collection, which was then divided among the firemen, for their heroic effort in fighting this dangerous fire; because, as you know, they were paid $2 each for risking their lives and fighting that fire all night. The firemen who attended that fire were: Henry Burdick, chief; C.P. Ryan; H.G. Bottoms; O.E. Swearingin; R.E. Armour; C.A. Bennett; Bud Estes; Chas. Cockran; and C.M. Mason.

Other fires occurred this same year, one of which was the Churchill Building on N. Main St. It was occupied by the Battery Shop of Francis Smith and Watson and O’Dell Garage. It stood just south of the Lutheran Church. Prompt arrival and efficient work by the fire boys lightened the damage.

The next disastrous fire to hit El Dorado was the complete destruction of the Eslinger Bros. Mill and Farmer’s Elevator located at the depot. This one took place on July 30, 1923. Because it was out of the reach of water mains, the fire spread very rapidly. It began in the Eslinger Mill and soon the Farmer’s Elevator, which stood some 30 feet away, was ignited and totally destroyed. The Depot was saved by the train crew. The locomotive was kept in the rail yard over night. The crew threw water on the building from the engine’s tank and kept it from catching fire. The Standard Oil storage tanks were in constant danger. Had they caught fire, they would have blown the entire south end of town to bits, since on tank held 4,500 gallons of Kerosene and the other tank held 7,000 gallons of gasoline. Ed Stone, one of the city firemen, was credited with saving this building and the tanks. While the fire was at its height, the station caught fire several times. Mr. Stone stood on the roof with a wet sack and beat the sparks out as they fell. He did this in spite of the fact that the whole place could have blown up at any time. Just one more incident where sheer bravery by a member of the El Dorado Volunteer Fire Department paid off. Loss was placed at $60,000. Members at that fire were: Ed Stone, Ruben Armour, John Atkinson, C.P. Ryan, C.A. Bennett, Frank Nichols, H.G. Bottoms, M.E. Atkinson, O.E. Swearingin and Lloyd Knowlton.

The next big fire occurred on Jan. 17, 1924, at which time two brick buildings on the northeast corner of Main and Broadway were destroyed. The fire started in Keeney’s Grocery and by the time the alarm was turned in, and the fire truck arrived, the interior of the grocery was a mass of flames and had eaten its way into the adjoining building used by F.M. Carman as a warehouse and storage room. For a time it was feared the Kemp Hibler Building would be next, but thanks to the fire boys, the blaze was contained and was soon put out. The loss was set at $10,000.

That corner area has been the scene of four bad fires. The last one being the total destruction of Thatch’s Grocery in November of 1955.

In 1924, the city purchased a new fire truck from Oberchain Boyer Company for $3,500, plus 500 feet of new hose. Though there were many residential fires and a few minor ones in the downtown area, El Dorado had a period of respite for any serious ones for about 23 years, dating from the Cruce Block fire of 1912.

But, luck didn’t hold out. On Sunday, Jan. 19, 1936, El Dorado was the scene of another devastating and expensive fire. Six two story buildings and their contents, located on S. Main in the center of the business district, were completely destroyed. The fire originated in the northwest corner of the upstairs over Woodfill’s 5 & 10 Store. By the time the fire company arrived, the flames, fanned by a strong northwest wind, had spread rapidly and were raging in the dime store and Roe’s Dry Good Store on the south. The fire equipment was inadequate to cope with the rapid spread of the fire and was hampered by the strong winds that caused the glames to get completely out of control. The fire company fought bravely and had to keep it from going all the way sough to what is now the Montgomery Ward Store; and their efforts paid off. The fire was stopped at the alley across from the park Hotel, but six buildings were left in complete ruin. Destroyed were Woodfill’s 5 & ten, Roe’s Dry Goods Store, Owen Jennings’s Clothing Store, Washington Drug Store, Swearingin’s Grocery and meat Market and E.F. True hardware Store. In the upstairs area were pearl McCampbell’s Beauty Shop, H. Clay Walker Jewelry, Culver’s Pressing and Cleaning Shop, Dr. R.O. Crawford’s office and Mr. and Mrs. George Woodriff’s apartment. The loss was estimated at $150,000. That night the Volunteer Fire Department really had a workout in 12 degree above zero weather and a strong north wind, but “bless them,” they stayed right in there to keep the fire from going all the way to Thompson St.

Firemen at that fire were: Jess Maslin Jr, chief; Frank Nichols; J.E. Stone; Troy Shoemaker; Fred Oakes; Ernest Pickell; Kenneth Schwalm; Henry Burdick; Lee Green; and H.J. Thomas; plus many citizens who did what they could to help.

Dec. 16, 1947, other downtown businesses went up in flames. H.B. Davis hardware Store, Florence Mack’s Dress Shop and Cedar County Motor Company were the losers this time. The loss was set at $100,000. The Nevada Fire Department was called to assist in this fire, which again, was a dangerous one due to many explosive items in the hardware store and the motor company buildings on the south. Firemen were E.V. Pickell, chief; Jim Green; Walter Ogle; Lester Roby; Carl Messick; Forrest Thompson; Alden Hess; Jim Darnell; henry Burdick; Marvin Carter; and J. Blackmore.

On Oct. 21, 1966, a spectacular fire gutted the two story Itco Farm Supply Company and two other buildings on the south side of E. spring. The loss of the contents of the building was placed at $42,000. Perce Anson, the owner of the buildings, could give no estimate on the property. Firemen fought that blaze for two and a half hours before bringing it under control. For a time it was feared the fire would sweep into the nearby business district. Luckily, it didn’t happen.

Again the fire bug struck in 1969. This time on N. Main, east side, when the Rabe Furniture Store, Tina’s Flower Shop and the Eastern Star Lodge, which was upstairs over the flower shop, were extensively damaged. The fire broke out in the Lodge Hall, in late evening, and had made quite a headway before it was discovered. The fire company fought it all nigh to keep it out of Grayson’s Variety Store, on the south, and “Abe” Medearis’ hardware Store, on the north side of Rabe’s. They were successful and only the two buildings were damaged.

That brings us to the last disastrous fire as of this date. It occurred on Jan. 10, 1976 when the Producer’s Exchange on St. James St. was completely gutted along with the Bulldog Skating Rink and VFW Building. The burning asphalt roofing and shingles created billows of black smoke which could be seen for miles. The fire was so intense that El Dorado called for help from Nevada, Stockton, Appleton City and Osceola, and they all responded. Without their help much more damage would have been realized. But El Dorado has been lucky through the years. The burned out structures have always been replaced and the scars of burned out ruins have never remained long.

Yes, the city is lucky, and so are we, the citizens, to have our Volunteer Fire Company. They have been a big part of El Dorado for many years and we should be grateful for them. A big “thank you” is due them for their efforts through the years.