Though difficult to read, the banner under the fire tower read “Durango Hose Organized May 13, 1887.” After the devastating 1889 fire downtown, the Durango Fire Department transitioned from an all-volunteer organization to a paid department on Feb. 1, 1894. Volunteers still augmented the paid staff. In this photo, 57 men and a young boy (mascot) stand in front of the temporary hose house. The fire chief holding the horn at center right is George Goodman. He came to Durango in 1879. Goodman was the last volunteer and the first paid fire chief. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org (Catalog Number: 13.01.38 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections).
Though difficult to read, the banner under the fire tower read “Durango Hose Organized May 13, 1887.” After the devastating 1889 fire downtown, the Durango Fire Department transitioned from an all-volunteer organization to a paid department on Feb. 1, 1894. Volunteers still augmented the paid staff. In this photo, 57 men and a young boy (mascot) stand in front of the temporary hose house. The fire chief holding the horn at center right is George Goodman. He came to Durango in 1879. Goodman was the last volunteer and the first paid fire chief. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, [email protected] (Catalog Number: 13.01.38 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections).