It’s a piece of Bismarck history – a 100 year old fire engine. And it’s running again. The fire engine dates back to 1926. It still has “Engine Number One” emblazoned on it. Jim and Jan Beck, who live south of Mandan, bought it at auction in 1988 from Bismarck, who at the time declared it surplus property. “The only person who bid on it was a guy from Fargo,” said Jim Beck. “And we didn’t want to see it go to Fargo. So, we bought it.”
The fire engine was taken to the Great Plains Museum, south of Mandan. And for years, it was part of the annual Fourth of July Parade in Mandan. Jan Beck said that was fun to do. “We would bring it in to town on (highway) 1806, She said. “That was always kind of cool, in the morning of the parade.”
Jan Beck said after a while, they weren’t taking it up to the parade any more. And she said the engine just sat in one of the garages. Then, she said, Bismarck city administrator Jason Tomanek contacted the Becks, to ask about the engine, offering to buy it back. “And here we are today, and it’s back home,” Tomanek said. “So, I’m so glad to be a part of this story. I’m so glad that this thing is home again. It’s just really cool.”
Tomanek said the engine has so much history attached to it. “Probably first and foremost, this truck responded to the Capitol fire in 1930,” Tomanek said. “That’s pretty impressive.”
