City of Moose Jaw Ladder Truck

City of Moose Jaw Ladder Truck

In the early 1950s, Moose Jaw was thriving. The Royal Canadian Air Force base was reactivated in 1952 which led to an influx of military families to the area. Couple this with the fact that Moose Jaw was already an agricultural and industrial hub, and you have a bustling, growing city.

To better serve and protect its residents, the City of Moose Jaw purchased its first modern ladder fire truck in 1953 – a Model 500A built by the King Seagrave Truck Company of Woodstock, Ontario.

Purchased for $35,432 – more than $400,000 today – Aerial No. 2 has an open cab and a big V12 engine. The ladder truck would serve Moose Jaw until it was retired in December 1989. It was last used in the fatal Empress Hotel fire on August 8, 1987.

City of Moose Jaw Aerial No. 2 (WDM-1990-MJ-9) is on display at WDM Moose Jaw.