PIONEERS
H I S T O R Y
“
SEARLS HISTORICAL LIBRARY
IRE! FIRE!” THAT CRY SENT FEAR
through the hearts of early residents
of Nevada City and Grass Valley as
they both experienced many fires that
devastated the towns.
The first great fire in Nevada City
occurred in March 1851. Eye witness
Luzena Stanley Wilson would recall the
event. The family was roused from sleep by
shouting and the clang of bells. “We hurried out through blinding smoke and darting flames…There was no stopping such a
conflagration.”
“The tinder-like pine houses ignited with
a spark…The red glare fell far back into the
pine woods…fire howled and moaned like
a giant in an agony of pain, and the buildings crashed and fell.” She goes on to
write that 8,000 were left homeless as the
fire destroyed the main part of town. Many
were also penniless.
The town was quickly rebuilt and was
more substantial. Some fire prevention
methods were taken including the introduction of the first brick building in 1853
and use of iron shutters. Yet, the town
continued to suffer from fires through the
1850s. An especially devastating one
occurred in July 1856 when the town was
again virtually destroyed. Ten people were
killed, and the homes of 3,000 burned.
Fed up, the women took action in 1859
and decided to raise money for a fire
department. They held a successful ball and
theatre production, and six months later
the Nevada Hose Company was established
with 47 members.
Two additional hose
companies followed, one
did not last; the other is
believed to have built the
town’s first firehouse in
1861. It still stands at
420 Broad Street. It was
followed a couple of
months later by the
firehouse at 214 Main
Street. Today, this
Nevada City landmark is
a museum.
Grass Valley’s great fire
started in a hotel on
Main Street in September
of 1855 and was fought
with buckets and wet
blankets. Some 300
buildings were burned,
30 acres were blackened
and merchants suffered
significant losses.
The Wells Fargo and
Company vault withstood
WAYDE CARROLL
Firehouse at 214 Main St.,
Nevada City
the intense heat, and just eight hours after
the first cry of “fire,” residents were
amazed to see a shanty on wheels pulled
down the street headed for the bank. It
was set up against the safe, and amid still
warm ashes, banker and town supporter
Alonzo Delano set up shop.
As was the case in Nevada City, the
town was quickly rebuilt. A water system
was installed, but destructive fires continued into the 1860s.
The first attempt at organizing a fire
department was as early as 1853, but
unfortunately lasted only a year. The first
true department was organized under law
in 1858 and was known as the Grass Valley
Hook and Ladder Company. Other companies followed in the 1860s. Evidence of
those early departments can be found on
Race Street near South Auburn Street. Built
in 1891, it was the home of the Reliance
Hose Company No. 3.
Grocer J.J. Jackson and his daughter. A Nevada City
volunteer
fireman, he was chief in the late 1880s.
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