The age of lumbering was a period of natural development for a fire department. Timber served not only as a natural resource for the development of the lumber industry but also as a natural resource for the disasters of fire.

An early lumberman named Matthew Cobb built the first mill on the banks of Pere Marquette Lake. When a fire broke out, it was obvious that there was a need for a fire department. Cobb organized the first local department. Equipment consisted of a few buckets, axes, shovels, and a row of wooden barrels filled with water and placed along the roof of the mill.

The City of Ludington was formed in 1873. In June of 1881, a fire broke out in the city and consumed 67 buildings including the fire station. As a result of the "Big Fire", a water plant and a system of mains to carry water throughout the city was constructed. In 1883, a city hall was built which included the fire department named the Phoenix Hose Company #1. A second division was organized in 1884 in the Fourth Ward, and was named the Phoenix Hose Co. #2. Members of each division wore distinctive and colorful uniforms.

The fire engine on display at the village is loaned to us by Mr. Mike McDonald, a member of the Ludington Fire Department, from 1958 to 1994. The fire engine is a 1937 Boyer Fire Apparatus mounted on a Graham Brothers chassis.