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Three Rivers Region

Started by dedgren, December 20, 2006, 07:57:49 PM

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flame1396

Cool, my quad. This should get me back to SC4.

Astro Empires and space art has me tied at the moment :)
The most astounding and unique aspect of the human race is our fervent application of our ingenuity to kill each other, thus completely defying the near-universally proven fact that the ultimate goal of a member of a species is to ensure the survival of the species.

dedgren

#1561
So, everyone thought I'd forgot, I suppose, that our friend Pat (patfirefghtr) scored comment #1,500 in our little effort we have underway here.  At this rate, we'll easily make 2,500 comments by the end of the year, and I suspect, with collaboration about to explode away from the starting line, that number will be far higher.

We've already honored Pat once for a "double-oh" here [linkie].  I guess that means he joins the "double-double-oh" club, or at least he would if there was such a thing.  All I know is that I couldn't be more jazzed about reaching such a nifty milestone and having such a good friend make that happen.  Not to slight any of the rest of you, mind.  This is a group effort, and you folks are some group.

Pat fights fires for a living up there in the Great North Woods of Wisconsin...

...when he's not fighting mosquitos, which as I recall from vacations as a kid from which I returned pale and anemic, are the state bird there...

All kidding aside, that's one honorable and selfless pursuit, and it's a true honor just to know the guy.

Well, they fight fires in 3RR, too...

* * *


City of Wolf Lake Fire Department/Wolf Lake Fire District (Fire Service Area #4) History

The Wolf Lake Fire Department was originally organized in 1871 as a volunteer company, Pioneer Engine Company No. 1, serving the then newly incorporated City.


The Department purchased from the City of Duluth a used hand pumper built by the Jeffers Company of Rhode Island, which had been originally shipped to that city up the Erie Canal and through the Great Lakes in 1859.  With that and other equipment consisting of hose carts and a ladder truck, all hand-drawn, firefighters responded to fires within the City limits.


The primary concern of the Department at the time was the shortage of readily available water in the City. In 1874, the Wolf Lake Board of Supervisors ordered the establishment of four cisterns to be placed strategically within the city limits. When a fire occurred, a large iron pipe was put into the cistern and water was hand pumped through long hose lays. Wolf Lake itself was also utilized if the fire was in close proximity to it.


Tank houses serviced the first water lines which were wooden and buried under the dirt streets. Using an ax, firefighters would dig through the dirt and then through the wooden pipe and draft water into the pumper. A wooden plug was used to fill the hole, coining the term fire plug.

Rural residents in areas adjacent to the City had to handle any fires in those areas with the aid of their immediate neighbors, as it was impractical to move the hand drawn equipment long distances to rural fires. Even if the fire apparatus could be transported to the rural fires, it would not have been effective without a municipal water system to feed the hoses.  Most rural fires in the late 1800s simply burned out of control until the structure involved was destroyed.

After a great deal of controversy over an increase in taxes, water mains and, much to the delight of the City's dogs, hydrants were installed in the City in the late 1880's.



By 1892 the Department had purchased a Babcock hook and ladder truck, and organized City Hook and Ladder Company No. 1. Between 1895 and 1900 four volunteer hose companies were established; "Alert", "Unity", "East Side" and "Reliance". All of the companies participated in parades and were responsible for their own fund-raisers.

After the turn of the 20th Century, the City fathers again decided to upgrade the fire department. They appointed the Department's first fire chief in 1906. In the short space of a little over two decades, the Department had grown from the old wood burning horse drawn steamer days and limited resources to a substantial operation.



By the end of the First World War, the chief had four paid assistants, six call men, a large group of volunteers and seven pieces of equipment including the Region's first motorized chemical engine.


Modern farming equipment, operating first on steam and later gasoline, allowed local farms and their operations to grow. The frequency of fire and its devastation increased with the new machinery and increased population of Wolf Lake and its environs. With the coming of the automobile and the improvement of local roads, rural firefighting was becoming a possibility. In the early 1920's, the local agricultural district purchased and maintained a small truck, which was equipped with chemical fire extinguishers, buckets, shovels, and other firefighting equipment. This truck was housed in Wolf Lake at the Farmers' Cooperative and was available for use by any resident. In the event of a fire, the property owner would need to go to pick the truck up or arrange for someone to bring the truck to the fire.


The members of the agricultural district established in the 1930s the 166 square mile/430 square km volunteer Wolf Lake Fire District to serve the rural areas surrounding the City.  When the region organized its Fire Service Areas (FSA) in the 1970s, the Wolf Lake Fire District became FSA #4, however everyone still refers to it by its former name.  The District now operates three unmanned rural stations (Woodstock, Dodge Center and near Perch Lake in the south of the District) equipped with a hose truck and water tanker/pump vehicle.

The Wolf Lake Fire Department, as currently organized, is operated as a municipal division of the City of Wolf Lake, which is located in the approximate geographical center of the Wolf Lake Fire District, which the Department serves under an biennially renewed memorandum of agreement. With its eighteen full-time, two clerical, forty volunteer and one code compliance members, the Department provides 24-hour a day coverage with firefighters housed in the station for immediate response. Equipment consists of four engines, one ladder truck, three water tenders, one rescue squad, three command vehicles, and two utility vehicles. Today, as noted, the District purchases fire response services in excess of its volunteer capacity and District-wide 911 coverage from the City by contractual agreement. This allows both agencies to eliminate unnecessary duplication of equipment and other resources.

The Insurance Services Office (ISO) rated the Department in 1993, at which time the fire rating was upgraded from Class 7 to a Class 5, resulting in improved insurance rates for City residents and businesses. Areas within the District, being without fire hydrants, continue to receive the maximum allowable rating of Class 8.  Many other City services have been assigned to the Department during the past two decades which were not previously considered traditional fire department activities. These include but are not limited to:

    * Hazardous Materials response
       
    * Expanded Public Education
       
    * Technical Rescue
       
    * Water Rescue Teams
       
    * Disaster Services/Coordination
       
    * Other specialized training.



The Wolf Lake Fire Department and Fire District continue to change and modernize to meet the needs of the community and answer the challenges the future holds in performing the vital public services they provide.

* * *

Pat, that was for you, my friend.  You'll have to stop by the firehall in Wolf Lake the next time you're through there and swap a few stories.

Thanks for 1,500, big fella!


David
D. Edgren

Please call me David...

Three Rivers Region- A collaborative development of the SC4 community
The 3RR Quick Finder [linkie]


I aten't dead.  —  R.I.P. Granny Weatherwax

Skype: davidredgren

Pat


WoW David that was sooo cool i soo enjoyed that very much... Kudo's to you on ISO rating very
accurate  :thumbsup:  WLFD has defintly a great history and also a great historian too...  You had
to do alot of research to make this happen and that make me excited that you gotten a real darn
good job done on that man im wowed as allways.... you do such a wonderful job David keep it up
and i wil for sure keep coming back for more and i will be sure to stop by at the station to chatter up
and who knows maybe run with them for a day  ;) - pat  Pine Lake 648


btw if any one wants to check out my department wedsite check me number lol

Don't forget the SC4D Podcast is back and live on Saturdays @ 12 noon CST!! -- The Podcast soon to Return Here Linkie

thundercrack83

Very interesting stuff about the fire department, there, David! And congratulations go out to our good friend, Pat, too!

dedgren

#1564
John's (Darmok) map...



Luca's (meldolion) is on the carto table now.  Later.

EDIT:  Nope, finished.  I'm doing these in about half an hour now, for the simpler ones.



Eblem (HabLeUrG) gets the next one this evening.


David
D. Edgren

Please call me David...

Three Rivers Region- A collaborative development of the SC4 community
The 3RR Quick Finder [linkie]


I aten't dead.  —  R.I.P. Granny Weatherwax

Skype: davidredgren

Pat


David that is looking really good and cant wait to see the next map - pat

Don't forget the SC4D Podcast is back and live on Saturdays @ 12 noon CST!! -- The Podcast soon to Return Here Linkie

meldolion

Thanks David!
I really like my quad :) just a question though: are small rivers the one in the center of the who depressions?

Bishop Hawke

I am totaly amazed each time I come and visit here. The charts and maps just keep getting better and better. I find new ideas to try and work into my city. (with not as great a success as you David, but I am learning) Right now I am working on a hidden cove inlet with a small fishing village. David  Keep up the good work  for you are my mentor and I have learned many great ideas from reading this journal.

Bishop Hawke

dedgren

#1568
A quick and dirty legend, because a few folks are asking.



This will be way more detailed and professional looking in future iterations.

Here's a snapshot, btw, looking east along R-6 in Luca's quad.




David
D. Edgren

Please call me David...

Three Rivers Region- A collaborative development of the SC4 community
The 3RR Quick Finder [linkie]


I aten't dead.  —  R.I.P. Granny Weatherwax

Skype: davidredgren

Pat


LoL David that is still a good legend i cant wait to see the real deal when its all said and done - pat your Rhinelandrian friend...

Don't forget the SC4D Podcast is back and live on Saturdays @ 12 noon CST!! -- The Podcast soon to Return Here Linkie

bat

Nice new maps, david! Great work as always! :thumbsup:

Shadow Assassin

Mmm, I like that pic, but unfortunately, it isn't going to look quite like that in SC4 -- all that needs to be changed is the road. :P
New Horizons Productions
Berethor ♦ beskhu3epnm ♦ blade2k5 ♦ dedgren ♦ dmscopio ♦ Ennedi
emilin ♦ Heblem ♦ jplumbley ♦ moganite ♦ M4346 ♦ papab2000
Shadow Assassin ♦ Tarkus ♦ wouanagaine
See my uploads on the LEX!

thundercrack83

Hello, David!

The maps look as fantastic as ever, and the legend looks great, too. You may have already answered this question earlier, but I do remember, so I'll ask: Are you going to put all these maps together into one big map? If you are, I can't wait to see it!

Dustin

Ryan B.

That looks to me like a shot of a very rural FM (farm-to-market) road in Texas.  I couldn't tell you which one it is, though.

HabLeUrG

wow i cant wait for mine as you said you are going to do that  ;D thank you alot  :)

excellent work as usual  :thumbsup: i like those topo maps

emilin

Some very nice maps, and the quads look like they are taking shape nicely too. :thumbsup:

Rather odd to see no posts from David in 4 days though, I hope everything is as it should be?

BlackwaterEmil's inn
Berethor ♦ beskhu3epnm ♦ blade2k5 ♦ dmscopio ♦ dedgren
♦ Emilin ♦ Ennedi ♦ Heblem ♦ jplumbley ♦ moganite ♦ M4346 ♦
papab2000 ♦ Shadow Assassin ♦ Tarkus ♦ wouanagaine

dedgren

#1576
Thanks for being concerned, Emil and all.  I have been meeting over the past few days with a new client about 150 miles/240 km south of where I live preparing for several mid-week depositions, which I will also be traveling to do (tomorrow through Thursday).  The place I stayed advertised wi-fi, but it turned out to be slower than dial-up, and that's when it worked.

So, in the time I had, I worked on my updated (new, actually) placename map and Gazetteer.  Here's a sample of each.



  • Ash Creek (Unincorporated Place - NE Quad Elbert Twp - lat. ___° ___' ___" N / lon. ___° ___' ___" W - elev. ___ ft/___ m amsl.)  Ash Creek is a small built up area in the upper Valley of Ash Creek, a tributary of the Smith River.  It does not have a post office or any other government services.  There is a single store in town with convenience groceries and other general merchandise for sale.  The closest gasoline station is in Geneva, two miles away.  Ash Creek was settled in the late 1800s as a religious community, with members professing beliefs similar to the Shakers of central Kentucky.  The townspeople built beautiful communal homes and a large meeting hall out of brick brought into the region by train from Duluth, then by wagon up into the Wyler Mountains.  By the 1920s, however, there were only a few adherents left and much of Ash Creek stood abandoned.  By the 1930s they were all gone and the buildings were beginning to fall into disrepair.  The regional government foreclosed on all of the buildings and property in Ash Creek in 1959 for failure to pay property taxes.  By this time all of the structures were substantially in need of repair.  Over the next 30 years, there were unsuccessful attempts to market Ash Creek as the site for a private college or youth camp.  It was finally purchased for one U.S. dollar in 1993 by Ronald Trump, a then little-known developer who planned to restore a number of the buildings as condominiums in conjunction with construction of a ski area nearby.  The sale agreement required that Trump put the property back on the tax rolls by 2013, and thus far he has sunk hundreds of millions into the project and attracted almost 100 new residents.  Time will tell if this enterprise will be successful, but Trump has been widely applauded for the effort and care he has spent in restoring this historic treasure to a measure of its former beauty.


* * *

You might also find the following linkies useful- I've made a list of a few things I use frequently, and thought I'd share it with you.

Lat-Lon Map - http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=112.msg23340#msg23340

Parks - http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=112.msg25418#msg25418

Detailed Map - http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=112.msg25029#msg25029

Pop and Demo - http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=112.msg24694#msg24694

Railroads - http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=112.msg22582#msg22582

Gazetteer - http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=112.msg47293#msg47293

Road Plan - http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=112.msg47830#msg47830

Collaboration Quads - http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=1236.msg36285#msg36285

3RR Regional Parks - http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=112.msg25418#msg25418


Later.


David
D. Edgren

Please call me David...

Three Rivers Region- A collaborative development of the SC4 community
The 3RR Quick Finder [linkie]


I aten't dead.  —  R.I.P. Granny Weatherwax

Skype: davidredgren

meldolion

Bookmarked!! :thumbsup:

It's amazing the amount of work you put in creating 3RR!!! I'me very proud to be part of collaboration :)

threestooges

Amazing and a bit scary (in a good way). I laughed when I first read that "rust never sleeps, neither do I" thing by your avatar, but it really seems to be the case. The level (and quantity) of detail that has gone into this is nothing short of spectacular. I can't wait to add my touch to the collaboration when the time comes. Good to know you are well both here and in rl (sorry to hear about the wi-fi though... been there done that too often... but hopefully it was free).

dedgren

Just Eblem's (HabLeUrG) quad, in progress...



I'm off for down south of here to take some depositions.  I'm hoping for better wi-fi than last weekend.

Have a great day.


David
D. Edgren

Please call me David...

Three Rivers Region- A collaborative development of the SC4 community
The 3RR Quick Finder [linkie]


I aten't dead.  —  R.I.P. Granny Weatherwax

Skype: davidredgren