Untitled Document

THE FIRE MUSEUM
Of The Unofficial Website Of the North Little Rock, AR
FIRE DEPARTMENT
1904- 2004: 100 Years of Protection and Service To The City

Retired Apparatus | Former NLRFD Stations | Old Documents | Historic Pictures| Museum Homepage | Website Homepage
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Fire Fighting In North Little Rock(Argenta)
In The Days Before Motorized Apparatus

The photos below give an idea of what fire fighting
was like from 1904 until 1917 in North Little Rock.


PHOTO ORIGINALLY FROM BARBARA HUMBLE; GIVEN TO WEBSITE BY RET. NLRFD CAPTAIN JIM DANCY
This photo was ovbiously made at 5th and Main in NLR. The Hose Wagon has "Argenta" painted on the
side. This must have been the day of parade, since flags are very visible. Both ot the houses still stand today!



(Above Photo Courtesey of N.L.R.F.D. and Chief Joe Mc Call)
This photo clearly illustrates what the back of an early Argenta (NLR) F.D. Hose Wagon looked like. Note the marker lights on
each side. There appears to be a step on the rear and a hand rail across the top of the rear of the wagon. Close inspection
shows hose folded up, ready to use. The soda-acid fire extinguisher looks brand new. The coal oil lantern was right behind
the fire extinguisher. The nozzle on the right rear of the hose wagon appears ready to go in service. The ladders on each side
were certainly of different lengths.



(Photo courtesy of the NLR History Commission- Sandra Taylor Smith, Director)
This photo shows what must have been "front-line equipment" in front of Old Central at 506 Main. An Argenta (NLR)
steamer was never known to exist. The options available to NLR Firemen were: (1) Use the fire extinguisher, like the
one below, or (2) Pull the 2 1/2"hose and rely on hydrant pressure!


(Above Photo Courtesy of NLRFD and Chief Joe Mc Call.)
One has to wonder who the boy and his dog were. "City of Argenta" was proudly displayed atop the fire station.
This building also was City Hall until the present City Hall at Broadway and Main was completed. The bell in
the tower above the building was used to sound alarms for fires and also sounded the beginning of "curfew."



(Photo Courtesy of NLRFD and Chief Joe Mc Call)
Note the condition of NLR Main Street. Evidently, it had rained heavily recently. One has to wonder how far
the hose wagons could go without sinking in the mud! Note that one horse in the picture above is gray or white,
and that in the previous photo all horses were dark colors.