Basic HTML Version
January 3, 2013
TUALATIN CENTENNIAL
13
342522.010313 TC
We are
proud to
share our
History
with you!
Happy Birthday
Tualatin!
TUALATIN
19417 S.W. Boones Ferry Rd., (503) 692-3005
South of S.W. Tualatin-Sherwood Rd. • Open 7 Days a Week
Directions and offers at www.oilcanhenrys.com
Proudly Serving
Tualatin
27 Years and Counting…
408294.010313 TC
408291.010313TC
Proudly serving Tualatin for 12 years!
Congratulations Tualatin!
100 Years and counting
From your friendly neighbors at
cranked telephone still in place.
The largest disaster
Eventually finding the need to expand fire services
beyond the city’s borders, the Tualatin Rural Fire
Protection District was formed in 1946, with Barngro-
ver again elected chief of the district. The new district
covered 81 square miles, and in addition to Tualatin,
provided contract services for the city of Wilsonville.
By 1948, the district had its first paid firemen (six in
all), who by then had been joined by a new compan-
ion, Dottie, a Dalmatian and the district’s mascot. A
year later, the district was able to purchase a Chevro-
let panel truck that served as a first aid vehicle.
While the district responded to numerous fires, ac-
cidents and citywide floods in its early years, the
largest disaster occurred on Oct. 8, 1952, when 11 air-
men died after their B29 Superfortress collided with a
F94 Starfighter near Wilsonville. The collision scat-
tered the wreckage throughout several fields (some
concentrated where the Wilsonville Toyota dealer-
ship is now located) and there were many witnesses
to the falling debris.
The disaster was part of training simulating how to
fight off a head-on attack by a jet fighter but the pilot
of the jet fighter apparently misjudged his attack with
his wing tank hitting the wing of the B29, according to
Addington’s book.
’Shut up and listen’
Donald Sempert, who was a Tualatin Grade School
football coach at the time, later told authorities about
the crash as recounted in the history book:
“When the plane (the B-29) disappeared, I told the
boys to ’shut up and listen’ for an
explosion or noise. I counted to 8,
maybe a little hurriedly, from the
time the craft disappeared until
we heard a loud and long stifled
roar. A few minutes later, black
smoke appeared just a wee bit to
the left of where we last saw the
plane before it went out of sight.
This smoke rose very high and
lasted approximately three min-
utes before it grew faint.”
By 1946, the old station at City
Hall was becoming too small, and
a new fire station was built by vol-
unteers at Southwest 84th Avenue
and Seneca Street. The iconic sta-
tion was later torn down, and to-
day a parking lot sits in its place
with the Winona Grange behind it.
In 1989, Tualatin Rural Fire Pro-
tection District merged with
Washington County Fire Protec-
tion District No. 1 to become Tual-
atin Valley Fire & Rescue. The
Beaverton Fire Department offi-
cially followed suit several years
later to create the second largest
fire department in the state.
Today, fire service to Tualatin
residents is provided by Station 34, located at 19365
S.W. 90th Court.
RITA BARNGOVER CONOVER COLLECTION, COURTESY OF TUALATIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Residents gather inside the bay of the Tualatin fire station in 1952 to celebrate
the 15th anniversary of the formation of the Tualatin Fire Department.