Dine in Downtown Victoria * 952-443-2858

MACKENTHUN’S Gourmet Meats

St. Bonifacius

Holy Family Catholic High School

Victoria * 952-443-4659

Island View Dining

Waconia.  952-442-2956

CLICKSTART

952-902-2014

THE VICTORIA FIREMEN OF 100 YEARS AGO

by Sue Orsen/Victoria Gazette

         Back in 1913, when the population of Victoria was 200, there were 19 people on the Victoria Fire Department.  That's one firefighter per 10 residents.

         On February 3rd, 1953, when the population of Victoria was 300, there were 53 members on the Victoria Fire Department.  That's one firefighter per 6 residents. 

         Today in 2013, when the population of Victoria is 8,000, there are only 28 people on the Victoria Fire Department.  That's one firefighter per 270 residents.

         Does that mean Victoria Fire is not keeping up with the times?  It means the times have changed.  Not only the times, but the occupations and the businesses on Main Street.

         It's probably true for the first 50 years of the Victoria Fire Department that a majority of male heads of Victoria households were members of the Department.  That was possible because most men lived and worked in the community, which was agrarian in nature.  Today, most men who live in Victoria work outside the city and couldn't possibly respond to an emergency in a short amount of time.  And, yes, most firefighters are men.

         One hundred years ago, firemen didn't need extensive training.  They needed mainly to show up.  Victoria firemen used a chemical pump, like a large fire extinguisher, to put out fires.  They used water in Victoria lakes and cisterns.  And they used hand to hand bucket brigades like those seen in old cowboy movies when there was a fire in the pioneer days of the Wild West.

         We might also bear in mind other realities of yesteryear, when streets weren't even gravel, much less paved, and most of the transportation was with horse and buggy.  The first car arrived in Victoria in 1911, only two years prior to the arrival of the Victoria Fire Department.

         Who were the pioneer members of the Victoria Fire Department?  The Gazette acquired the names of 19 men who gathered for an organizational meeting on July 7th, 1913.  There is also a list of 19 men who gathered as charter members on March 4th, 1914.

         The two lists, from the early handwritten minutes taken by E.B. Plocher, first Secretary of the Victoria Fire Department, are not identical.  There are three men on the 1913 list who are not on the 1914 list:  Frank Tschimperle, William Rhoy, and Joseph Schmid.  And there are three names on the 1914 list who are not on the 1913 list:  Richard Eagan, Fred Salter, and Frank Diethelm.  The Gazette will include here all 22 firemen noted in those earliest minutes. 

         Where did these firemen live and what was their occupation?  That information is not found in minutes but in memories.  The Gazette sat for some time, on separate occasions, with Victoria residents Jerry Schmieg and Flori Diethelm to jog memories to help answer questions.  Calls were made to others, and several details were found in the historical archives of the Gazette.

         Jerry Schmieg, 81, served in the Victoria Fire Department in the 1960's under Chief Joe Vanderlinde, Chief Lloyd Braunworth, and Chief Lenny Koehnen.  Because of other commitments in the community -- school board, church board, work outside the community, Victoria Concert Band, Victoria Lions, to name a few -- Jerry retired early from the Fire Department.  Jerry and Gerda live on Orchid Street today, which was once part of the farm of Joseph Diethelm, charter member of the Victoria Fire Department and Jerry's great uncle.

         Flori Diethelm, 95, son of Frank Diethelm and grandson of Joseph Diethelm -- both of whom served 100 years ago on the Victoria Fire Department -- was not a fireman but his brother Harold Diethelm was.  Flori farmed with his parents Frank and Anna Diethelm, dug graves for St. Victoria, played baseball with the Victoria Vics, worked at the sugar beet factory in Chaska, and worked 33 years in maintenance and lawncare for Cargill.  The current Victoria Fire Station is located on what used to be the farm of Fireman Frank Diethelm, where Flori was born and raised. 

         Flori happens to be the oldest member of the St. Victoria Catholic Parish today, and he lives in the four-plex apartment building next to Lions Park.  From his kitchen window he sees the yellow/gold home of his Grandpa Joseph, where his father Frank grew up.  It is noteworthy that over half of the firemen of 100 years ago have relatives and descendants on the Victoria Fire Department today, as well as in the community.

         This feature story focuses on the original Victoria firemen.  Many, many more firemen served in the Victoria Fire Department over the years, of course, up to and including today.  Happy 100th to all of them.

 

Meet the 22 Victoria Firemen of 100 years ago in the paper edition.

Leuthner Well Company

Victoria * 952-443-2582

Swanson Insurance

952-448-4580

The Victoria Fire Department

City of Victoria  952-443-2771

Text Box: Text Box: Text Box: Text Box: Text Box: Text Box: Text Box: Text Box:

Headlines

and bylines

Front Page

Feature Story

From the

Editor

Addie’s

Drawing

Letters

to the Editor

Victoria

Moments

Hook

Line & Sinker

Calendar

of Events

Click here to

Advertise

Email

the Gazette

Return to

Home Page

Order

paper Gazette

Notes and

Quotes

The Scoop

at City Hall

Text Box:

The Victoria GAZETTE

Where They Lived & Worked

August 2013