OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

MINNEOTA FIRE DEPARTMENT
In the early 1880s, prairie fires were causing serious problems to farms and homes in and around the Minneota area. For added protection, fire breaks were made by settlers all around the town.
The Village Council then issued an ordinance that stated every homeowner which has a fireplace must have and keep constantly on hand one ladder and two buckets of water that can be used in case of a fire. Ladders and buckets must also be kept in good condition and easy to get access to. The ladder must be long enough to reach the roof of a home. Anyone violating this ordinance would be subject to a fine not exceeding $5.
After a fire destroyed the grain elevator in Minneota, the Village Council assigned three people to form a committee to form the first fire department that would consist of 12-14 men in 1885.The men must be in excellent physical shape in order to quell a fire before it became out of control, the council insisted.
On Sept. 15, 1885, the department was organized and William Crowe was elected the village's first fire chief.
Salaries were set at $10 per year for each fire fighter with the understanding that each man remain on the force for the entire year.
Minneota's first fire department consisted of very limited resources. That included one hose cart, as well as several ladders, buckets and axes. A 12' x 16' building was constructed to house the equipment. Soon after, a bell was purchased by the village to sound the alarm that firemen were needed to fight a fire.
Today, the Minneota Fire Department consists of a 25-person unit.
As part of Fire Prevention Week, which runs from Oct. 8-14 this year, the Minnesota Fire Department will host an Open House event on Sunday, Oct. 8 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a meal of burgers and chips being served. There will also be a cooking safety demonstration by members of the fire department and a raffle drawing at 1 p.m.
At 8 p.m. that same night, the Minneota Fire Department will be driving trucks around town with lights and sirens engaged for awareness.
The Mascot and other local businesses are honoring all five of the fire departments in our coverage area on Page 8 of this issue. Those include Minneota, Ghent, Porter, St. Leo and Taunton.

NATIONAL 4-H WEEK
Beginning Sunday, Oct. 1 until Saturday, Oct. 7 has been designated as National 4-H Week this year.
The Ribbon Wranglers are our local 4-H that serve the area well. The Ribbon Wranglers, which is comprised of former Nordland and Westerheim 4-H groups that combined into one 4-H group last year, recently held officer elections.
Ella Moorse was named president, Shelby Neyens is vice president, and Imogen Moriarty is the secretary.
The group's leaders are Cindy Van Keulen and Ronni Vlaminck.
The Mascot is proud to honor our hardworking 4-Hers and their dedicated leaders and parents.