2015 Retrospect
The Shepherd Fire — March 10, 2015
The event I will always remember about 2015 is the fire that consumed three buildings in Shepherd. Fire fighters worked until the next morning to put the flames out. Most memorable, however, was the fact that no lives were lost, and the way the community came together to support the residents who had lost their homes and their belongings.
Cleaning Up
I remember taking my son, Elijah, by those buildings on our way through downtown Shepherd the Sunday before. I glanced casually into the laundromat, and took note of the other buildings as we passed by them. By the next weekend, the building which contained the laundromat was little more than a husk, and the other two buildings had been turned to rubble.
But, it was all filled in with sand by the end of April, in time for the Maple Syrup Festival.
Rebuilding
The space where the buildings once stood continues to change. Sova Auto Sales purchased a portion of the property, paved it, and is now using it for their cars. There is still space for another building, but so far no word from anybody who is interested in building there.
The Mural
In the Fall, students in the Shepherd High School art classes began working on a mural which would stretch across the side of the building on the other side of the lot.
The rubble might have been cleared, and the holes filled in, but the community will continue to remember the buildings that once stood there. The same week as the fire, I had posted a question on Facebook asking who had lived or worked in one of the buildings. I received several response.
The Shepherd Area Historical Society is still in the process of collecting issues of The Shepherd Argus in the hopes of replacing the copies which were lost in the fire. These issues of Shepherd’s newspaper were an important resource.
What do you remember about the fire in Shepherd? Respond with your thoughts or memories.
Originally published at docs.google.com.
