| Summary: | been graduates of our twelve-year program every year since 1920. Students have come and gone as their families have moved on to other fields of endeavor and still other families have come to Binford to live. History of Binford Fire Department A meeting was called to order on March 30,1906, for the purpose of organizing a volunteer fire department in the City of Binford. George Lockett was made temporary chairman and Oscar Greenland appointed secretary. It was moved and seconded that a committee of five members be appointed to draft bylaws and solicit voluntary firemen. The chairman appointed O. S. Gunderson, Ole Bakke, E. M. Jackson, Henry Alfson, and J. R. Truscott as such committee. This meeting was adjourned. The next meeting was to be held on April 6,1906at8p.m. At the April 6, 1906, meeting it was decided that the bylaws would be drawn up. They had organized a fire department which was made up of sixteen members; Fred G. Lewis, August Evers, T. K. Curry, George Lockett, O. S. Gunderson, Paul J. Simonson, Carl J. Krogfoss. The first members were as follows: Albert Alfson, John B. Reid, John Knapp, Oscar Greenland, Martinus Norsving, Andrew Nordstrom, Henry Alfson, Otto Knapp and J. R. Truscott. The members elected T. K. Curry as chairman and Oscar Greenland as secretary. Oscar Greenland, T. K Curry and P. J. Simonson were elected to serve a committee to draw up the department bylaws. The meeting was adjourned until April 13,1906. The first meeting of the Binford Volunteer Fire Department was held April 13, 1906. The bylaws committee reported on the bylaws as drawn. It was moved and carried that they be accepted. A motion was made and carried that the following officrs be accepted as the first offical fire department officers: FredC. Lewis Cheif George Lockett Assistant Cheif Paul J. Simonson Secretary John Knapp Treasurer . Financial Committee August Evers\ M. Norsving I T.K.Curry / Andrew Nordstrom, Henry Alfson and Albert Alfson were appointed to solicit contributions for the fire department. The first piece of fire fighting equipment was a fire tender, which was home-made in May of 1906. In future years two chemical wagons were used for fire protection. These wagons or carts were pulled to the fires with water in them. On arrival they would dump a soda solution into the tank. The chemical action would create pressure used to fight a fire. The first fire truck was a used one purchased from the Cooperstown Fire Department. It was bought September 13,1946, for the sum of $707.00. The present Fire Protection District has two modern fire trucks and also takes care of the Binford Ambulance. The department is now responsible for the protection of the City of Binford and five surrounding townships. The present officers are as follows: Glen Paulson Chief Marvin Willows Assistant Chief Robert Messner Secretary-Treasurer The equipment is now being housed in a new fire hall built in 1974. Jonas A. Helland Post #111 Binford American Legion The Jonas A. Helland Post #111, named after the first person that gave his life in the 1st World War, received its first charter in Nov. 1919. First officers were: Post Commander Olaf Knapp Vice Commancer Elgia Lagrow Finance Officer Emil Olson Adjutant Oscar Aim Historian Alfred Alfson Chaplain Edwin Dahl Because of so few members the Post lost its charter in 1930. The Post was reorganized in Nov. 1948. The officers elected were: Post Commander Earle Olson Vice Commancer Johnny Nelson Finance Officer Martin Rorvig Adjutant Wallace Ethen Historian Rueben Solee Chaplain Gordon Solee Page 12 Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited in Multi-page TIFF Editor.
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