John R. Bonner - Alturas Fire Department - Alturas, CA
N 41° 29.007 W 120° 32.620
10T E 705072 N 4595339
A plaque dedicated to a fallen firefighter sits in front of the Alturas City Hall and Police Station.
Waymark Code: WMJM48
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 12/02/2013
Views: 4
Located near the front entrance to Alturas City Hall is a large piece of lava rock with a bronze plaque monumented on the front that reads:
DEDICATED BY
ALTURAS FIRE DEPARTMENTIN MEMORY OF
JOHN R. BONNER
KILLED IN SERVICE
1933 |
I did some online research on John Bonner and noticed he shares the same name of a well-known citizen of nearby Cedarville, John Heath Bonner, who is credited with establishing a trail route from Cedarville to Alturas in the 1860s. John R. Bonner could be a relation of the elder John H. Bonner, but I've found no evidence of such yet (still researching).
John R. Bonner was born in 1903 and is buried in Alturas Cemetery. His headstone contains a Free Mason symbol. He's also mentioned on the California State Military Museum website and was made a mascot for the Alturas Home Guard (5th Company, California Home Guard) in 1917 because he was too young to drill with other militia members. From reading this historical article, John Bonner appeared to be a very patriotic and valued citizen of Alturas before his death. I've so far been unable to determine how he died.
I've uploaded pictures of what appears to be Alturas' former fire station that is no longer being used for fire services but is still a very historical looking structure to be admired. I'm to assume John Bonner was working in this building at the time of his death.