The Mystery Fire Truck In Grand Junction

So, why is there a Gurley, Nebraska fire truck on 12th Street in Grand Junction?

I brought this up sometime last year and never followed up on it. So, I finally decided to get the answers.

I was invited by Ken Richards to stop by and get the whole story, so I did.

The entire interview follows. From whose idea it really was, how they found it, and the response it has gotten from Grand Junction residents. Just a man, or actually, I should say, a woman and her dream.

'Long about 2008, while I was still a mortgage banker, my wife Cindy was playing around on the internet and came across an old fire truck.  She exclaimed “Wouldn’t it be neat to own and old fire truck?”  No, I responded thinking that would be the end of it.  Oh how wrong I was.  I assume this is the case with most husbands when their wife wants something, but I digress.

Sometime in 2009 while I was Joining State Farm Cindy brought up the issue again.  Mind you this was not the first time since the original question but more of an every 3 -4 month kind of deal.  FINALLY, I relented and said, Look, if you can find one that’s cheap (because I’m cheap), in good shape (because I’m not going to restore one), and nearby (because I’m not going to pay to ship it here) we can get an old fire truck.  Smug and content I was thinking that the three criteria I laid down would never happen.

Son of a gun if, and I kid you not, not three weeks later Cindy tells me “You are going to Greely  to buy this old fire truck!”  WTH?!?  Sure enough she found a 1954 fire truck in great shape, runs great, with lots of extras and near enough to home I could drive it here.

So off I went to Greely to get the truck, friend in tow to drive my car back.  Funny thing about old fire trucks.  YOU NEVER SEE THEM ON THE ROAD!  There is a good reason for that.  One, they are SLOW.  Like real slow.  This truck has an inline 6 cylinder with a 2 barrel carburetor to move over 3 tons of truck.  Yeah, I think houses just burned down in the 1950’s.  Second, EVERYONE freaks out seeing it on the interstate!  I had people hanging out of their windows taking pictures, semi’s honking as they went by it was nuts.  Felt like I was King for a day.  While driving it home I got pulled over going up Genesee.  I’m thinking WTH?  There is no way I’m speeding.  When the state Trooper approached I asked “what’s wrong officer?”  Nothing he said, I’ve just never pulled over a fire truck before, thought it would be fun.  I said great.  You know I have to this started up this hill again right?  He looks and says oh yeah well, have a nice day.

After I opened the agency I decided it would be a great milestone to explain to people where the office was.  “Just north of community hospital, with the OLD red fire truck.”  And it worked.  Now people seem to get angry when I take it for repairs, or clean it up.  I get calls and people stopping in saying I better it back out there.  Who am I to stop people from receiving the joy it seems to bring them?

Ken Richards

There you go. Now we all know. Does it ruin the mystery for you though? Not for em, I'm glad I now know the whole story.