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Robert Wolf - First Paid Firefighter in Walla Walla
Robert J. Wolf discusses what it was like to fight fires in Walla Walla in the late 1880s and early 1900s. After moving here in 1883, Wolf became the first paid fire fighter for the city in 1888 when he was hired as a fire truck driver. He later became Assistant Chief. In the last half of the 19th century, many frontier towns grew up quickly. They were largely constructed of wood and not subject to zoning restrictions or fire prevention regulations. Because of that, Walla Walla suffered several major fires and Wolf participated in fighting many of them. He died in a large downtown fire in 1912. Two years later, a statue in his honor was erected on the site but later moved near his grave in Mountain View Cemetery. A replica of that statue has been erected at Crawford Park at 4th and Main, the site of another disastrous fire in which two city firemen died on January 1, 1974. Another statue erected near the city cemetery office by Josephine “Dutch Jo” Wolfe, the well-known madam and benefactor of fire-fighters, who was no relation of Wolf, is often thought to have depicted him. Visitors are encouraged to see the Museum's American-LaFrance "Metropolitan" fire engine, more than a century old, housed in Exhibit Hall Five is from this same era. The exhibit is displayed behind the doors of Walla Walla's former Rose Street Fire Station. Robert Wolf is portrayed by Captain Greg Van Donge of the Walla Walla Fire Department. The Museum is located in |
preserving and sharing Walla Walla regional heritage |
755 Myra Road - Walla Walla, WA 99362 - (509) 525-7703
Fax: (509) 525-7798 - Email: info@fortwallawallamuseum.org
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