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The year 2008 marks another milestone reached in Coon Valley. The Coon Valley Fire Department has reached the century mark and is celebrating its 100 years of service to the community. There have been big changes in the fire service in 100 years and those changes have also affected how the firefighters in Coon Valley operate. The fire department in Coon Valley has progressed from a few hose carts and wagons pulled by manpower to vehicles with plenty of horsepower available to get the manpower to the scene.

Arriving just in time for the anniversary, some of the early records have been donated to the department by Jon Lee, a direct descendant of some of the first firefighters. Written largely in the hand of TJ Moilien and Oscar Moilien, the secretary’s notes have for the most part been carefully preserved in their original ledgers. With penmanship similar to calligraphy, the decoding of the minutes from every meeting has been a time-consuming process. In the end, an assembly of some interesting history has been written. A binder with the highlights of each meeting, the officers that were elected, and who replaced who, is being put together and will be available for anyone to view.

Of the records that have been located, only a few years have been lost—hopefully to be found again one day.

Early photos in the village show the smoldering ruins and foundations of businesses and other buildings razed by fire. With no fire department to fight the flames, the danger of losing lives and property was just as real then as it is now.

In 1908, the fast-growing village of Coon Valley recognized the need to establish a fire department. Humble in its beginnings, equipment was acquired and men were recruited — a fire department started to take shape.

The earliest records begin with a date of May 3, 1910, with Albert Spellum at the helm as the fire chief. Even then, volunteer departments had a hard time with attendance. A fine of 50 cents was levied against firemen that did not attend a fire and 25 cents for not attending meetings. To ensure adequate manpower was available, you had to find your own replacement. In the early days, all of the firemen lived within the village limits—it wasn’t until the 1980s when the first firemen were allowed to come from outside the village limits. Most were businessmen, farmers or were employed in the village.

The equipment the firefighters used consisted of three hose carts, a Hook & Ladder Wagon and a chemical engine. All were pulled by hand to the scene of the fire.

The hose carts were stored in separate sheds located in various places within the village. When the village hall was built in 1910, the equipment was then stored on the first floor. In the beginning, the first floor of the village hall was just hard-packed dirt and lacking insulation. In the colder months, the chemical engine had to be stored indoors and the Erickson building provided shelter for the engine to prevent it freezing from November to April. The old village hall is now home to Badger Insurance in the old apparatus room and the upstairs is an apartment n home to Josh Fencl (who would be the only fourth-generation firefighter should he ever want to volunteer—hint hint!)

Teaming up with the village, the fire department offered to pay one-third the cost of fixing up the village hall with their share of the cost not to exceed $50. To get things started, Nick Klomsten donated the first $5. Adjusted for inflation, that would be about $114 today. One of the old cart sheds was also sold to a Mr. Steolugson for $10 and moved to his property by the firemen. Another expense was the purchase of new hose. To help pay the cost of new hose, a December dance and lutefisk supper was arranged, after which they profited $51.56. Of that Adolph C. Brye and Nick Klomsten, farmers just outside the village limits, donated $25 and $10 respectively.

In 1911, saw the need to replace the fire bell with a larger one. The original tower appears to have been about where the Bothne Drive/ Central Avenue street sign is now. The new bell was installed in June at a cost of $43. The firemen also worked hard to improve their equipment by cementing the floor of the village hall, adding hooks and snaps to the Hook & Ladder Wagon to hang fire pails and acquiring some additional hose. A November dance and oyster supper was sponsored and brought in a combined total of $12.12 and December saw the election of officers at the annual meeting.

Some of the earliest fire mains in town were installed around 1912 to 1914, with just a few fire hydrants. To prevent the hydrants from freezing, wooden boxes were built around them and then filled with sawdust or horse manure. Over the next few years, the fire plugs were connected to the pumper and given a “good test” as they were installed.

Dances yielded from $10 profit up to $35. It appears our forefathers were quite the social crowd and hosted several dances and dinners each year for several years. A lease agreement was entered into with the tobacco warehouse and dances were held in this building. The Coon Valley School sub-leased the warehouse for the purpose of hosting basketball games for a few years. The first annual picnic was held on the A.C. Brye farm that had receipts that totaled over $225.

For a great many of the early years, members came and went, sometimes several times. The department was growing and establishing a solid footing in the community. Improvements to equipment and additions to inventory were being made. A good foundation laid for those of us that are following 100 years later.

In 2008, as the current members of the Coon Valley Fire Department celebrate their 100 year milestone, several events are being planned and will be announced at a later date. Please stop and see us at any of these events to peruse through the pieces of history we have accumulated and see how far we have come in one century.

Send all inquires, letters, questions or answers, and photos to Hans c/o the Westby Times or Hans at westby.times@gmail.com.