Reflections: Battle threatened by fire in 1903

Reprint of this story from the July 11, 1903 issue of The Grand Encampment Herald brought to you courtesy of Grandma’s Cabin, Encampment, Wyoming. Preserving History - Serving the Community.

Town of Battle Lake Narrowly Escaped Being Wiped Off the Earth

The town of Battle Lake, Wyo., was threatened with total annihilation by fire on Sunday last, when after a fierce fight against great odds the few people in that little city held the demons down to two small dwellings, saving a score of buildings which seemed doomed to destruction.

The fire started about 9:30 o’clock in the log house of George Smith which was occupied by Tom Elwood and family. It is supposed that the fire caught from the chimney. The little dwelling was soon enveloped in flames, which fanned by a stiff breeze caused great alarm as the tongues of fire shot out toward the buildings close by and reached the further side of the street, threatening the Battle Hotel, Smizer’s saloon, Sol Finks’ store, and the other buildings on the north side of Battle’s principal street.

The Smith house and another log house on the east, occupied by Colonel A. A. McCoy, were destroyed, but the rest of the town was saved. The log house just to the west of Smith’s was saved, but it took a lot of hard work to keep the fire from taking it.

Battle has a system of water works which came into excellent service during Sunday’s fire. The water is piped from a spring down the steep hill rising to the south from the townsite, and there are four hydrants or taps from which good pressure may be secured.

The taps are at the places belonging to Thomas & Schmitz, Ed Smizer, Tom Elwood and Stuart Edgar. From these four places water was thrown upon the buildings in the path of the fire, and water was carried to the roofs of buildings not in reach of the pressure, while blankets and beddings were hung in front of buildings to ward off the dread destroyer. The people at Battle put up a hard fight and won out. Luckily the wind shifted slightly in the town’s favor, and it wasn’t many hours before the fear of total destruction was altogether eliminated by the quenching of the last spark of fire.

Tom Elwood’s loss is great. Only a few household articles were saved, clothing, bedding, furniture and many valuable personal effects being burned. A few days ago Tom had stored several fine sets of harness in the house and none of these were saved. Tom and family are now occupying Stuart Edgar’s house east of the ruins.

While it is a serious matter to be burned out of house and home, the boys at Battle make great sport out of Colonel McCoy’s loss, which has been variously estimated. A local authority told the Herald Tuesday that $35,000 would not replace McCoy’s outfit, especially when it is considered that the Colonel bad a house full of ore specimens from all parts of America, stocks, bonds, Indian scalps and relics, pipes that his grandfather used to smoke, a huge library and other valuable accessories. One thing was saved, however, that being a fine fishing rod, but some miscreant, taking advantage of the situation, got away with the rod during the strenuous hours of fire fighting.

There were only a few people in Battle during the fire, most of the inhabitants being in Grand Encampment, where they had gone on Saturday to celebrate the Fourth of July.

To Be Continued.