Oak Lake Curfew and Fire Bell
Posted by: 
PeterNoG
N 49° 45.967 W 100° 37.996
14U E 382384 N 5513906
This bell tower was built in 1923 and was used until 1986.
Waymark Code: WM71H9
Location: Manitoba, Canada
Date Posted: 08/18/2009
Views: 6
~ from the nearby geocache, Curfew and Fire (GC1E259) (visit link) but the 'previous' source was The Oak Lake and Area web site (visit link) and they probably gleaned the information from local newspapers and Town Council minutes. ~In the early years fire was an ever-present danger both in town and on the farms. The old newspapers are full of accounts of fires started from lamps and heated stovepipes. These fires were very difficult to control because of lack of available water and inadequate equipment. Many of the Oak Lake Council meetings had time spent on fire equipment and plans for more efficient use of it. By 1910 there seemed to be more money in the country and the fire fighting equipment was updated.
July 1912 - McCubbin became fire chief and a new fire brigade was organized.
August 1912 - A second chemical engine with hose reel attached was to be purchased and that the present engine be put in first class shape.
March 1913 - Councilor McCubbin was to write Bell Manufacturers for a price on a 40-inch alarm bell, also to towns in Manitoba having similar bells.
April 7, 1913 - The Council Secretary was instructed to procure a steel alloy fire alarm bell 44 inches in diameter, from C.S. Bell Co., Hillsboro, Ohio. When the new bell was installed it could be heard all over town. Whenever it rang, everyone turned to man the buckets and hoses to help try to control the fire.
During these years the street lighting was really inadequate and all the side streets and south of the track was dark black at night. It was probably a concern for the safety of the children more than as a disciplinary measure that led the council to use the bell to enforce a curfew.
November 1913 - A bylaw was prepared prohibiting the presence of children under the age of 16 years on the streets of the town after nine o'clock and the Council arranged for the bell to be rung as a curfew at nine o'clock each evening. This curfew was strictly enforced. The local town constable was responsible for ringing the bell, so depending on his popularity, the bell became a means of deviling him.
January 1923 - A motion was passed that the board be affixed to the bell tower giving notice that anyone ringing the fire bell except in case of alarm be liable to a penalty of $10.00. Evidently the curfew was abandoned by the mid 1920's but the bell was used as an alarm for many years.
In 1986 a Bell Tower Committee was formed and in July the Bell Tower was refurbished. To this day, the bell stands proudly atop its tower on Main Street.