Wagner Fire Chief Jason Von Eschen received a donation of a bell from Linda Soukup, a local Wagner resident, and her sister Nila Novotny, a Fort Pierre resident; and Sandy Fechner, a long time Wagner resident in memory of the late Merrill DeWald and the late Don Fechner. Both Merrill and Don were Wagner Fire Department members for many years.

The Fire Department has a very nice collection of memorabilia displayed at the Wagner Fire Hall on West Wagner Highway 46. The bell was purchased from the Lila Mattis Estate last summer.

The inscription on the bell reads: Greetings From the Wagner Fire Department 40th Annual Tournament June 17-18-19-20, 1924.

If anyone has information on the inscription please contact Jason Von Eschen. The inscription is puzzling because Wagner has only been a town since 1900 so it doesn't match with the 1924 date on the bell. Is it possible the annual tournament began earlier in surrounding towns to the east and eventually Wagner hosted the tournament in 1924? Southern Charles Mix County was not opened up for settlement until much later than towns to our East.