On April 23, 1994, passersby in the Village of Joshua Tree watched as firefighters burned down the Joshua Tree fire station, a building that had stood for the past 45 years. While the sight may have seemed odd to many, the fire was in fact a fitting end to the historic building. In this historic look back, reporter Andrew Dieleman shares the important story of the Joshua Tree Fire Department building and the time capsule tradition that continues to this day…
On February 12, 1950, the Village of Joshua Tree dedicated its very own volunteer fire station building. Included in the ceremony was the placement of a time capsule, which contained local newspapers, brochures, photos, letters, poetry, and a jar of pennies in the building’s cornerstone. Over the next 45 years, the building became earthquake damaged and was deemed unusable. In 1994, the building was used for a major California Department of Forestry fire fighter training exercise, effectively destroying the building while offering one final training opportunity to firefighters. But first, the original time capsule was removed, and its contents displayed at the Joshua Tree Community Center. The modern Joshua Tree Fire Station #36 now stands in its place, which was also dedicated with a time capsule in its cornerstone.
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