One thing that hasn’t changed much throughout the history of North Dakota’s small towns is their volunteer departments. Most communities in the state are served by volunteers for fire and ambulance. Rolette met the need soon after its founding in 1905 where the Great Northern and Soo railroads crossed.
Little Rolette quickly merged with the village of McCumber, and by 1906 Main Street was a busy place with barns, banks, pool halls, grocery and hardware stores. The Rolette County Examiner newspaper ran ads for 26 new businesses in its first edition in 1905.
On this date in 1907, the president of the village board called for the organization of a fire department. The board appointed a fire chief and assistant chief. By early December of 1907, twenty-seven volunteers were organized into engine and hose companies. The fire department first consisted of a four-wheeled engine cart and a hose cart. There was also a reservoir behind a church, complete with a pump to deliver water
By 1928, the Rolette fire department added chemical tanks mounted on a chassis with hoses and ladders, but there was no pump, just the chemical action to provide the water pressure. A few years later, the fire department acquired a siren, clock and siren switch. Fundraisers over the years brought in contributions to purchase additional equipment, including a truck in 1947. By 1957, the Rolette area added the Rural Fire Protection District Number Two, with additional trucks and pumps.
Today, Rolette continues to operate an all volunteer fire department with over twenty members. And there’s even a Junior Firefighter program for those between the ages of 16 and 18.
Dakota Datebook by Jack Dura
Sources:
Rolette Commercial Club. (1980). History of Rolette 1905-1980.
https://tmchippewa.com/about-us/
Rolette Fire Department of North Dakota Facebook page.
