Early history of fires and firefighting in Marquette
In honor of October as Fire Prevention Month in Michigan, let’s look back at the early history of fires and firefighting in Marquette. The first significant fire recorded in Marquette was the destruction of the Cleveland Iron Company forge, located near the lake shore, just south of Superior Street (now Baraga Avenue).
Originally built by Amos Harlow for the Marquette Iron Company, the forge went into operation in July 1850. It continued in operation somewhat irregularly until the spring of 1853, when the Marquette Iron Company was consolidated with the Cleveland Iron Company. The fire on December 14, 1853, destroyed the entire plant- forge, machine shop, engine house, and charcoal house with 20,000 bushels of charcoal. It was never rebuilt.
We don’t know very much about the fires that occurred in 1859, only that the citizens were concerned enough that they organized the first volunteer fire department. A “hook, ladder, axe and bucket” company was organized with Cornelius Donkersley as the chief engineer and 60 members.
In early 1861, the community ordered a fire engine which arrived in August. Shortly after its arrival, the fire department was reorganized as the Phoenix Fire Company No. 1. The name came either from the fact that Matthew H. Maynard, its chief engineer, was an agent for the Phoenix Fire Insurance Company, or from the make of the engine.
The engine was stored in the Marquette, Houghton, and Ontonagon railroad shops near the corner of Front and Main Streets. The engine as described as a hand pumper, pulled by then men who grabbed the ropes and ran to the fires, pumping the engine by long hickory handles.
In June 1868, the entire business district of Marquette was destroyed by the city’s “Great Fire.” Unfortunately, the city had just moved the Phoenix engine from the MH&O engine house to the newly purchased Town Hall building on Spring Street. When the Town Hall burned, the firemen’s rooms in the basement also went up in smoke.
In just four hours, over 100 buildings were destroyed, covering an area of two blocks on each side of Front Street plus buildings on other streets. This included almost every store in the village with the exception of a drug store and a meat market on Spring Street. Three of the four docks in the harbor were also destroyed.
Immediately after the fire, new ordinances were made compelling merchants to erect their buildings with fire-proof materials. The fronts of all buildings had to be of brick or its equivalent, and the roofs covered with tin. Inspections were made by the Fire Warden of the chimneys, boilers, furnaces, etc. in homes as well as commercial buildings.
The following spring, in March 1869, the Water and Fire Board of Marquette was organized. They chose the Holly system of fire protection and water supply, constructing a waterworks building (near the present building) and installing 40 double hydrants in the fall of 1869 at a cost of $55,000.
1871 saw the reorganization of the Phoenix company, which was based at Timothy Hurley’s harness shop at the corner of Front and Superior Streets. This company was later nicknamed the Irish because most of the members were of that nationality. This organization had a two-wheeled cart which could be pulled by a horse or the men themselves. It was said that after hearing the alarm, the local draymen would race their horses to the firehall, and the first one there and hitched up would get $5.00.
A second company which went by several names was organized on the west side of town, along Bluff and Washington Streets. Most of the men were of German descent, so it was originally the Germanis Company, then German Co. No. 2, and finally just the Dutch Company. It operated from a building on the south side of Bluff Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets.
About 1873 the people in the third ward, in the Ridge Street area, wanted more fire protection. Another company was organized, the Morse Co. No. 3. It was named for J.C. Morse, who helped purchase a brick building in the vicinity of the Landmark parking lot and Temple Beth Sholom on Ridge Street for the company to operate out of.
In addition to the two-wheeled carts, these volunteers also used “hand grenades” to battle the flames. These were glass bottles filled with baking soda, which when smashed against a burning building, would smother the flames enough for the men to put a stream of water of it effectively.
There was great rivalry between the three companies as to which could get there first with their equipment and get to work. To give you a brief picture of how the companies all dashed to a fire, here is a description of a small one which occurred in 1878.
“Monday noon a fire broke out in the Hurley block, corner of Front and Superior streets. Morse hose company No. 3 was promptly on the ground with its hook and ladder apparatus and drew first blood. It was followed closely by the German hose company No. 2, which lost a wheel off its hose cart in running over a man in front of Tremont House, and thus was unavoidably detained a few minutes, but finally got the hose attached to the hydrant and assisted the Morse company.”
In July 1881 the city started a reorganization move to have one central fire department instead of the extra expense of keeping up the three volunteer outfits. Spring Street was chosen as the location for the new firehall, and the little handcarts were reconditioned to be pulled by horses.