Horses Pulling a Eureka Fire Department Engine in the Early Years

The Eureka Fire Department was formed in 1864 with its roots as a Volunteer Fire Department. The department grew steadily along side the City of Eureka. With the growth of the city, so too saw the growth of the outlying unincorporated areas of the greater Eureka area. In August of 1929, the Humboldt Fire District was formed to help address the need for fire protection on those areas. With the formation of the District, a fire engine was purchased by the County of Humboldt and stored at one of the City’s fire stations. The fire engine was staffed by City personnel and responded to fires in the Fire District along side the District’s volunteer Firefighters. This arrangement continued until 1949 when the needs of the District had out grown this arrangement. At this time, Humboldt Fire District hired its first full time Chief as well as its first two career firefighters. The District’s fire engine was then moved from the City station to a horse barn at the Redwood Acres Fairgrounds and thus became the District’s first full time fire station. http://www.hbfire.org/our-crew

Humboldt Bay Fire actually still owns the old fire engine (or at least one very like it) depicted in the photo above. Check out a photo and read the details here. 

Note: Carl Young brings back old photos to life by colorizing them. He often posts his enlivened photos on Humboldt County, California in pictures, old and new.