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Ron Wirth from Oregon contacted the Omaha Public Library. His great-grandfather's brother, Walter J. Lowrie , was a member of the Omaha Hook and Ladder Company. He had in his possession a copy of a booklet published by the Omaha Bee newspaper called " Lowrie's Last Ride." It recounts the accident on July 21 1880, that took the life of Lowrie , the oldest paid member (except for the chief engineer) of the fire department while he was on his way to a fire. Ron asked us: "Are their any photos of the fire departments of that time in Omaha in the archives, or personal and or donated images?" As it happened, I had run across a photo in the Pioneer Hook and Ladder Company records and so we scanned it for him. Mark Dasovic , a fire fighter / historian at Omaha Fire Department, identified the photo as one they also have in their collection. The photo was taken in January, 1879. It shows Pioneer Hook & Ladder Company #1 hand-pulled fire wagon with ladders on th...