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Robert Wolf - First Paid Firefighter in Walla Walla
There’ll be a Hot Time in the Old Town … 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. Pioneer communities, most often constructed of wood a nd not subject to zoning restrictions or fire prevention regulations, were subject to frequent fires. Walla Walla suffered several major conflagrations along its path to the modern era. Among the earliest blazes were those that took down old Fort Walla Walla, the Hudson’s Bay Company trading post on the Columbia River near Wallula Gap. Fires destroyed much of Walla Walla’s downtown area on March 7, 1887 and again on January 26, 1912. St. Mary’s Hospital was destroyed on January 27, 1915. Fort Walla Walla Museum’s Living History Company presents 19th century fireman Robert J. Wolf. Wolf is portrayed by Walla Fire Department Captain Greg Van Donge. After moving to the region in 1883, Wolf became the first paid fire fighter for the City of Walla Walla in 1888 when he was hired as a fire engine driver. He later became Assistant Chief. Prior to that time, volunteer fire companies, with names like ‘Our Boys Hose Company #3’ and ‘Tiger Engine Company #1,” handled the chores and did so competitively. In some communities, the company that reached the fire first was entitled to salvage rights. A participant in fighting many of the fires, Wolf died in the large 1912 downtown fire. Two years later, a statue in his honor was erected on the site but later relocated near his grave in Mountain View Cemetery (IOOF section). A replica of that statue has been placed in Crawford Park at 4th and Main Streets where the Walla Walla Valley Farmers’ Market meets, the site of another disastrous fire in which two city firemen perished on January 1, 1974. Another statue erected in the city cemetery by Josephine “Dutch Jo” Wolfe is often thought to have depicted him. Dutch Jo, Walla Walla’s well-known 19th century bordello operator and benefactor of fire-fighters, was no relation to Wolf. Museum visitors are encouraged to see Walla Walla’s last horse-drawn fire engine, an American-LaFrance Company “Metropolitan” more than a century old, in Exhibit Hall 5. The horses were trained to move into place in front of the engine so that harnesses stored above them could be dropped into place. The fire engine is housed behind the original doors of the city’s old Rose Street Fire Station. The doors were spring-loaded for a quick getaway, though men were required to close them after the fire crew’s return from action. Fire Station #1 was located adjacent to City Hall, where the Farmers’ Market parking lot area is now located. The Museum is located in |
discovering, preserving and sharing Walla Walla regional heritage |
Walla Walla Fire Department Captain Greg Van Donge portrays Robert J. Wolf, the community'd first professional fireman. 
755 Myra Road - Walla Walla, WA 99362 - (509) 525-7703
Fax: (509) 525-7798 - Email: info@fortwallawallamuseum.org
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