HomeMy WebLinkAboutNov14SLOWhatHistory of San Luis Obispo By: Joseph A. Carotenuti
City Historian/Archivist, Volunteer
When the fire “fiend” attacked, neighbors helping neighbors was the main
line of defense…and was delivered at no municipal expense. Those in the
community were expected to take care of the community and use elected
officials (and limited public funds) as a last resort. There was a strong belief
that government only became involved when individuals, either alone or
together, were unable to address an issue. The organization of any fire suppression plan
was basically a private affair among the public. Their homes and businesses…their problem.
Records indicate an organizational meeting was held in August 1870 by a group of citizen to
raise money for a fire company. With no reliable source of water and no funds, from organization
to action was a long time.
Passing an ordinance banning fireworks within the Town limits (the ancestor for more modern
laws) and signing a contract with the recently formed San Luis Water Company in the early
1870s were early responses by officials. For a subsidy of $2500, the Town would be furnished
with a sufficient supply of water for firefighting purposes for 25 years. Ten fire hydrants would
also be furnished and placed in key locations.
When on March 18, 1874, some 20 men formed Fire Company #1 and petitioned for an
appropriation from the town’s Board of Trustees, they were refused. The citizenry was
expected to raise any needed funds. This did not stop the volunteers as they campaigned for
funds by various means, including hosting a
traveling entertainment group, a picnic and a
firemen’s dance. Added to these coffers were
individual donations which quickly amounted
to enough to provide a hand drawn two wheel
hose cart, 500 feet of “good quality’ fire hose
and other necessary appliances that were
purchased in San Francisco.
Hinting at a larger structure to come, a $200
hose cart house to store the fire apparatus
and equipment was located on Morro Street
between Monterey and Palm Streets. The
first Fire Station would wait for a few more years.
Although Fire Company No. 1 ceased operations in July 1876, it was immediately succeeded
by another Volunteer Fire Company, The Goodwill Hose Company No. 2 with Edwin Sanborn
as the company foreman. Forty of the new company’s 50 members were former members
of Company No. 1. When declared a city in 1876, San Luis Obispo began a more serious
consideration for a municipal organization to fend off the “fiend.”
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Thank you to SLO fire historian, Jack Krege, for his authoritative sketch of the department’s
development to 1876 in Journal Plus magazine (July 2006).
Do you have a question about the pioneers or historical San Luis Obispo?
Contact: jacarotenuti@gmail.com