The Firehouse in 1880 Town

Early buildings in the West were often constructed of wood and susceptible to fires. Men first fought them with bucket brigades, but the method proved to be slow and often ineffective. As soon as possible, fire departments were formed with hand-pulled carts or horse-drawn water wagons. 

1880 Town in Midland, South Dakota, has an impressive firehouse, complete with an alarm bell. Firemen were volunteers. Inside, visitors find displays of basic, rudimentary fire implements and equipment from the 1800s. Some firehouses also served as community meeting places, and this one certainly could have.

In my soon-to-be-released book set in Deadwood, SD, a fire has burned Lorne Merritt's mining supply shop, and he's gone back to mining until he can earn enough money to rebuild. The Miner is a romantic adventure and mystery that releases tomorrow, March 11. It's on preorder now.

___________________