I found an online directory of Kalispell City ordinances and thought it would be intriguing to see what some of the ordinances of the past were. The last post covered a 1936 ordinance called "Cosmetology and Beauty Shops." Moving ahead to 1937, I found two Ordinances related to each other, #458 and 462 which focus on "Inner Fire Limits."
The first ordinance, #458, set the specific boundary within Kalispell that would be known as the Inner Fire Limits of the City of Kalispell. Rather than cutting and pasting the actual verbiage (it's long), the specific area mentioned is outlined in red:
For those unfamiliar with the Kalispell area, the highlighted area is the center of town now, although was probably almost the entire town in the 1930s. The Inner Fire Limit of the City as described in this ordinance only went as far south as 5th Street. Kalispell now goes to 18th Street to the south, and the city of Kalispell also includes streets north, east and west of this area as well.
So the first ordinance set the boundaries of the Inner Fire Limit. The second ordinance addressed the storage and piling of wood within the Inner Fire Limits.
Specifically, no person was allowed to store or pile firewood in excess of three cords of wood. Any firewood stored in violation of the ordinance was deemed a nuisance and if such a nuisance occurred, the Chief of Police would require the removal of the wood. Refusal to address the issue within 24 hours would result in the Chief of Police arranging for removal of wood and the cost would be charged to the home owner "by suit." This specific ordinance was declared to be an "emergency ordinance" for the "preservation of the peace, health and safety of the City."
A cord of wood is typically assumed to be a stacked pile that is 8 feet long, 4 feet deep and 4 feet tall. Obviously, three cords is a triple that.
This ordinance shouts the question, Why? Was this to minimize fire risk in the city? That's quite possible due to our very dry summers. However, a search through newspapers from the 1935 to 1937 time frame did not show any evidence that there were house fires in the area caused by firewood piles.
So if it wasn't because of fire risk, what was it? The only thing I could think of was perhaps neighbors of those homes with huge piles of probably messy firewood complained. Or they knew the police chief. Perhaps there was really just one home that was refusing to clean up and people were sick of it. So they enacted an ordinance for that one person.
What do you think the explanation could have been? Maybe you'll figure out something I did not!
And there you have it, another blast from the past of Kalispell Montana. I wonder what I'll find the next time I peek into the Kalispell Ordinances?
If you have any real estate related needs, feel free to give me a call on 406-270-3667 or email me at kat@thehousekat.com and I would be happy to find the right person to assist you!
Photos made from Kat's brain and AI.
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