1909 ÇAĞA YANGINI VE REŞADİYE (YENİÇAĞA) KASABASININ KURULUŞU

This paper deals with conflagrations or destructive fires in Çağa and the resulting establishment of a new town called Reşadiye in 1909. The town of Çağa, which is connected to the Gerede district of the Bolu sanjak, is between three hills and on a very narrow valley. Three significant conflagrations occurred in the town over thirty years, the first being around 1879, and the others in 1901 and 1909. Most of the town was destroyed in the last one. The first aid attempts were made by the military, which delivered about 80 tents to the region. Afterwards, donations were collected from the surrounding areas and it was tried to provide shelter and daily sustenance for the people who were homeless. Local administration was concerned about the disaster and reported the developments to the central government, requesting subsidies and support. On the other hand, the provincial administration demanded the establishment of a new town named Reşadiye in the Gölağzı area for the victims due to the frequent conflagrations, However, since the official procedures were not complete in time and the required aid was too late, the community had to spend the winter of 1910 in tents and sheds. Each family who lost their house in the fire was subsidised 2.000 kuruş from the state treasury to rebuild their houses. In addition, 132.000 kuruş of support was requested for the reconstruction of the town. only a small amount of financial support was provided by the Government. Yet, the construction began in the spring of 1910 in Reşadiye. Those who survived the fire preferred to rebuild their houses in Çağa again because they did not want to settle in Reşadiye. Although the provincial administration laid out certain regulations, they did not help. Thus, some people from the Çağa town kept living in the old town while others settled in Reşadiye.