FIRE IN WESLEY

Fire at any time can be very destructive, but in the early days of Kossuth County it was particularly dangerous.  Most buildings at that time were constructed of wood and heated with wood stoves, making them especially vulnerable to this danger.  Business structures normally did not have fire walls between the neighboring stores which often led to infernos which would destroy a large portion of a downtown district.  Such was the case for the town of Wesley on June 14, 1907. 

THE FIRE BEGINS

In the wee hours of that Friday morning – between 3 and 4 a.m. – Mrs. Walter Cowan discovered the Reliance elevator to be on fire.  According to Mrs. Cowan, the flames seemed to be under the office floor of the elevator.  Although the workers had been shelling corn the day before and had worked late into the evening to finish, that didn’t appear to have been the source of the fire. 

Coincidentally the Reliance elevator had recently been purchased by a group of area farmers who had formed the “Wesley Cooperative Farmer’s Society.”  News stories of the time differ as to exactly when the society was to take possession—some said it was that Friday, the day of the fire, while others said it was to happen the following Monday.  A meeting had been held between the previous owners and staff and the incoming employees at the facility on Thursday evening which was followed by a social hour which ended late in the night.  Evidently there was some unhappiness in the community concerning the sale and suspicion regarding the incendiary origin was expressed.  There was some discussion that arson was involved, but it was never proven. 

THE FIGHT IS ON

The alarm was sounded at the central telephone exchange and soon most of the town people were at the scene.  One of the biggest hindrances in fighting the fire was the non-existence of a water works system in Wesley.  Very few small towns at that time had a municipal water works of any kind.  Most citizens had their own wells which they relied on for their needs.  That day force pumps were used at private wells and cisterns to pump water on the fire, but the fire spread so fast that it was impossible to gain control.

A valiant effort was made to contain the flames to the elevator site, but it soon became apparent that they were fighting a losing battle.  The gathered crowd started taking out and saving goods from the stores and businesses in jeopardy as well as trying to stop the flames from spreading beyond the block in question.  Despite the southeast wind driving flames and sparks toward it, the block containing the opera house was saved from destruction due to the hard work of the fire fighters and other locals.

Algona Advance
June 20,1907

Although the firemen attempted to contact surrounding communities including Algona for help, the fire had impaired some of the telephone wires.  The mayor telegraphed Algona asking for help.  Seven members of the Algona crew would come over much later on the noon freight bringing fire hoses, but it was too little too late.  Besides they found the hoses to be useless as there was not a pump sufficient for their needs.

The heavy smoke rapidly ended the attempts of the volunteers to save merchandise and other materials from the threatened structures.  The large crowd was forced to stand back and watch almost the entire block go up in flames.  When the smoke cleared, only several yard buildings located on the Moore Lumber location were left standing. 

Businesses consumed included the Reliance elevator, the Hunting Elevator Company, Cowan’s Restaurant, Oscar Nelson’s general store, the Kunz & Isaacson clothing store, George Klinck’s barbershop (with his living quarters upstairs), A. M. Lease photograph gallery, and the coal sheds of Moore Lumber Co. 

The coal sheds had made the blaze particularly difficult to fight.  The heat and flames coming off the large compilation of coal made a tremendous fire threatening other downtown buildings for hours.  It would go on to smolder for several days.

Grateful for the help from Algona, Mayor Oscar Nelson furnished supper that evening for the men to thank them for their service.  The Milwaukee Railroad Co. also transported the group free of charge.

The amount of damages that occurred that day was estimated at $45,000 to $50,000.  Most of the businesses only had partial insurance coverage and some had none at all.

Photo from History of Kossuth County
published in 1913 - several years after the fire

WORKING TOWARD A SAFER FUTURE

The fire once again validated the need for a waterworks system for the city.  Many speculated that had a waterworks been in place, the flames could have been confined to the elevators alone.  An article published in the Titonka Topic a few days after the fire on June 27, 1907, stated, “The Whittemore Champion is right when it says that Wesley, Whittemore, Titonka and other towns believe in the theory that it is a good thing to lock the barn door after the horse is stolen; meaning that the citizens are in favor of a waterworks system after the town is burned.  This same theory is good anywhere.  It was a good thing when Titonka burned, yet we failed to get any kind of waterworks.  The proper and right thing to do is to get the waterworks before a fire and save the property.  But then our citizens cannot see it in that way and they never realize what a town needs until after the fire destroys thousands of dollars’ worth of property.”

Although Whittemore and Titonka had endured massive fires and had not proceeded with the establishment of a waterworks system, the citizens of Wesley were not about to let this happen again.  A proposal for the installation of an $8,000 system was brought to a vote at a special election held in August of that year.  It passed by a wide majority—thanks to 60 women of the community who cast their votes in favor of the project.

Bonds were sold to pay for the system later that year and in the fall of 1908 the waterworks in Wesley was complete and operational.  It was called the finest system in the county.  Out of the flames rose a stronger and safer community.

Until next time,

Kossuth County History Buff

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