Hand fire engines were procured in Janesville; two fire companies, Rock River No. 1 and Water Witch No. 2, were organized before the engines were received.

The evidence

• “The burning of the Stevens House in 1853 started an agitation for adequate fire protection ; the talk, however, did not materialize in procuring any engines until 1855, but before the engines were received two fire companies were organized, being the Rock River No. 1 and Water W^itch No. 2.”

  1908-brown-rock-county/26-history-of-janesville.md, Vol. 2, PDF p. 34 / book p. 548

  Brown, William Fiske, editor. Rock County, Wisconsin: A New History of Its Cities, Villages, Towns, Citizens and Varied Interests, from the Earliest Times, Up to Date. Chicago: C. F. Cooper & Co., 1908. 2 vols. archive.org/details/rockcountywiscon01brow, archive.org/details/rockcountywiscon02brow.

  Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources