Company salesman photo of the LaFrance after it was built and before it was shipped to Manning.

John was told by his dad that when the La France came in on the Milwaukee RR, in a box car, it was not properly anchored so when the train would start and stop the LaFrance would bang into the front of the car and back of the car.
It was sent back and the company repaired/fixed the damage to the front and back of the vehicle.
In 1980, when the fire department restored the LaFrance, the body workers found lead and other compounds used to fill in dents and fix the damage to the body of the truck.
It was restored for the 1981 Manning Centennial.

So I may have never heard this story if it had not been for finding this picture on E-bay and now documenting more things about this Manning LaFrance fire truck after visiting with John.

So if you've heard eventful stories about Manning's history and better yet have pix and documents about that event, please get that information to me to scan and add to the Manning Historical Database.

Thanks to my Manning historic preservation partner, Connie, here is some information she found online...
1928 Manning fire truck wins prize
The Manning Fire Department volunteers who worked to restore a 1928 fire truck were headed by a four-man work committee. Lyle Jahn and Lyle Bald helped organize the effort. Committee members John Ohde and Doug Schroeder were unavailable for the picture.

A lot of man hours and money went into restoring a 1928 American LaFrance fire truck owned by the Manning Fire Department, but it all paid off last Saturday in Cherokee.

The truck took first-place honors in antique division competition for trucks at the state Volunteer Firemen's Convention.

Manning firemen estimated that $3,000 was spent on materials for restoration, with the cost shared by the fire department and the city. Between 2,800 and 2,900 man-hours went into the task, all volunteer labor of a four-man work committee at the Manning fire station.

The truck was sandblasted and some minor body repairs were made. It was then primed and sanded several times before being painted and polished. No equipment had to be purchased because all the original gear was still at the station. Engine work put the truck in perfect operating condition, according to Fire Chief Merlyn Irlbeck.

"If we had a tire, we could use it," he boasted. Technically, it is very similar to the department's present trucks. Three pumper trucks, two tankers, and one emergency unit are maintained by the department.

The truck was purchased when it was new in 1928 for $4,500 and was retired in 1961. A new truck the department is considering buying costs approximately $35,000. The 1928 relic has been used for parades and shows, but was not fully restored until last winter.

Irlbeck explained that the department contacted the American LaFrance Company in Elmira, New York, for details on the truck's original equipment. Using pictures and the original bill of lading provided by the company. Manning volunteers restored the antique to exactly the way it was purchased.

Volunteers worked from January to June on the project. Since then, they have hauled it to parades and competitions on a goose-neck trailer. The truck took second-place in a parade at Kimballton earlier this summer.

At Cherokee. the truck was in competition with approximately 141 other vehicles. For topping the antique division the fire department received a $25 cash award.
Carroll Daily Times Herald, September 16, 1980