Historic Hood River
City Hall and Fire Station, 1939
Notes
Scarcely an hour after I was standing in this building talking with our fire chief, Matt showed me eight negatives he’d just uncovered in a sleeve dated December 1939. I bumped him from the scanner because I had to share this with you.
The building of course is the old (1920) City Hall, which has just been renovated so it is now also the new City Hall. City administrative staff has moved back into the space that housed them from 1920 to the 1990s. The downstairs space occupied by the fire station in this view is now the police station.
The fire equipment includes: (right to left: Truck #4, a 1937 or 1938 Ford, Engine #1, a 1920 American LaFrance Pumper, and Apparatus #5, a brand new (1940?) Kenworth. They must have been very proud of #5, as it was photographed from every angle. Even in this black and white image you can tell it is polished to a high gloss, but you’ll have to use your imagination to fill in the fire engine red.
Tags: 1930s, 2nd Street, City Hall, fire, fire apparatus, fire engine, fire station, fire truck, Young
Charlott
I bet that was something to see that group go racing up the street. Again we see the decorations on the building that were in one of the earlier mystery photos.
l.e.
I detect a bit of excitement in your voice Arthur.
Because of your previous photo, I often glance up, at the refinished sculptures at the top of the building.
And, if it wasn’t for that previous photo, I doubt that I, as an outsider, would even know that the old city hall was now the new city hall.
l.e.
Is this an Alva Day photo?
It has the sharp, clarity of his photography.
Casey
This is a fantastic photo. It looks like it could have been taken today.
Arlen Sheldrake
GREAT roster shot. I have fond memories of the fire siren going off and the Kenworth going up main street picking up volunteers as it headed to a fire alarm. Father John spent many years volunteering for both the HR and West Side fire departments……sure glad HR preserved this building.
While this is a great roster shot, it would have been even better if some of the firemen would have posed with ttheir engines.
Another excellent posting Arthur!! Happy New Year to all…….Arlen
Jim Gray
The Kenworth is Engine #3 I think if you are seeing a 5 on there it would be apperatus #5, the Ford on the right is a 38 or 39 model with the horse collar grill. I was lucky enough to drive the KW a few times in the early seventies, it was by that time a second line engine.
Arthur
To answer all the questions/comments: don’t know who took the photo, but it was on a different format film than the Alva Day collection. Arlen will get his wish as there *is* a shot in the same group of all the firemen in 1939 (with all their names), and we also have a picture of the entire volunteer department with their equipment from 1927 or so. So many pictures, so few days in the year! And Jim, thanks for the correction– the KW definitely has a #5 on it, so I’ll change the note to "apparatus #5". I’m not up on my fire terminology, despite being corrected all the time.
Charlott
Not that is has anything to do with this picture, but remember early childhood days in Pine Grove. When the fire was called in, you had to race over to The Boys Pine Grove grocery, even the volunteers to look on the chalk board on the side of the building to know where to head for the fire. By the time you even got started the building was gone.
Bill Pattison
The Ford was the original "brush pumper truck" in the Valley. It worked many fires north of Odell. Fun to drive and easy to pump.
Jim Gray
Bill I remember the Ford as being called a "truck" also, wonder why it wasn’t called an "engine" ?
Arthur
Thanks Jim, I thought I finally understood the difference between "truck" and "engine" until this one came along. Maybe it’s like the "i" before "e" rule: if it has a pump it’s an engine unless it’s a Ford?
Jim Gray
Arthur I think by the time the Ford was put into service there were standards to be called a engine or pumper, most likely how many GPM’s it could pump. each major piece of equipment for the Department would be called a apparatus, so the KW was HRVFD’s third Engine and fifth Apparatus.
Arthur
Does anyone have any info on the apparatus the HRFD had before the 1920 American LaFrance? 1921 Council minutes authorize the chief to go to White Salmon to try to sell it, but I don’t know what it was.
Jim Gray
Arthur; the Apparatus they may having trying to sell could have been the hose cart shown in the 1908 shot, don’t think HR every had a fancy horse drawn steam pumper like TD, but maybe a hand pumper?
Cheryl Salamie
Does anyone know how I can purchase a copy of this photo?
Derick
Anyone know what happened to the KW pumper? Or where it ended up?
Thanks.
OrMtnMaid
This photo has the information you are asking Derick. Looks like both photo’s were taken on the same day.
https://www.hoodriverhistorymuseum.org?showimage=249
Todd Dormaier
Hi all! I have App 5/Engine 3, the 1939 Kenworth. She is probably 99% all original still, runs, drives, and see the road still.
Any questions, information, history of, photos, stories, etc etc, greatly appreciated. Thank you!