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History
As the fortunes of the Comstock subsided, so did those of the fire department. The volunteers on the Divide and in Gold Hill were relied upon to back up the paid men more and more. Volunteers were paid $3.00 per fire by the county, and it was the volunteers from Gold Hill and the Divide who backed up the city units when the grand International Hotel burned in 1912, partially the victim of frozen fire hydrants. Gold Hill's Yellow Jacket Engine Company No. 2 disbanded in 1885, leaving their steamer stored in Virginia City. Lincoln Hose Company No. 3, in lower Gold Hill, remained active until after the turn of the century, eventually leaving Liberty Engine Company No. 1 as the only protection in Gold Hill proper. But the old hand pumper was no longer in service. The new hydrant system allowed the volunteers the luxury of not dragging it to a fire, only the ornate hose carriage and two-wheel hose carts that dated to the earliest days of the fire department were now needed. In 1910, the old Liberty fire engine was sold to Lowell, Massachusetts. And the Home | Site Map | Search | History | Museum | Membership | Newsletter | Photos | Calendar | Merchandise | Links | Translate | Tell a Friend | Contact |
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Gold
Hill retained its volunteer companies, and the Monumental Engine Company No.
6, on the Divide between Virginia City and Gold Hill, was allowed to remain in
service to provide protection to both areas. Later, another volunteer
company, Divide Hose Company No. 2, would be formed in the same area and
affiliated with the Gold Hill Fire Department.