From the Butterfield Advocate
Newspaper
(Our thanks to Marcia R. Paulson, Editor of Butterfield Advocate
for permission to use write-up and pictures.)
The Butterfield Threshermen’s Association (Butterfield,
Minn.) held its third annual Steam and Gas Engine Show the weekend
of Aug. 16-17, and around 20,000 people were on hand to enjoy this
increasingly popular event.
Though only three years old, the show is one of the finest
around; and the town folks (all 601 of them) and people from the
surrounding area are working hard to turn it into a real
classic.
At the Butterfield Show you will find that the emphasis in on
perfection and activity. Everything has been beautifully restored
and is in perfect running condition.
Though certainly not the largest, our display of antique
tractors is, without a doubt, one of the finest. All have been
restored and are running for the big afternoon parades. Some of
them, in fact, look like they were just driven off the dealer’s
showroom floor!
Art Ommodt of Butterfield and Ed Lammers of Fulda are our
leading tractor experts, and their beautifully restored models are
really works of art. We’ve enclosed a picture of Ed and his
12-25 Waterloo Boy (1918) to give you an idea of the quality
workmanship we’re talking about.
Also drawing much comment at this year’s show were a big
Rumely E 30-60 (1914) owned by Orville Huhnerkoch of Belview; a 15
hp. 1906 International with screen and tank cooler owned by Vernon
Iverson of Storden; an 8-16 Mogul (1915)- owned by Wayne R. Hanson
of Mt. Lake; and a 12-20 Rock Island Heider (1924) owned by George
Samuelson of Butterfield.
There were literally hundreds of gas engines, big and small,
chugging away throughout both days of the show. Two of the classics
were Ole Lundberg’s 6 hp. Lightning Engine manufactured about
1900 by the Kansas City Hay Press Co. and Ed Streich’s 1905 7
hp. inverted Hart-Parr, which is oil-cooled and will
Run on gas, kerosene or alcohol. Lundberg’s Kansas City
Lightning is a single cylinder, 4-cycle engine of opposed piston
type. Another beauty, one of several exhibited by Harvey Wahl and
Sons of Dundee, was a 1906 4 hp. International Famous with screen
and tank cooler. Also on display were over 50 engines owned by John
Pankratz of of Mt. Lake, a collection restored by the
Sulheim Brothers of Butterfield, and numerous others.
We were a bit short on steam at this year’s show, but Wayne
Kispert’s 22-65 Case didn’t take a minute’s rest as it
chugged from the threshing site, where it powered Art Ommodt’s
36 x 58 wing feeder Minneapolis separator, to the wood cutting
area, where it ran the big saw mill.
A scale model of the big Case built by Ted Lang of Hector was
used to run a scale model Avery thresher built by Gerrit Havelaar
of Hubson, S.D. Also on hand to help with the threshing were John
Buschena of Fulda and his converted 1880 all wood Case thresher and
a McCormick-Deering rig owned by Cornelius Fast of Butterfield.
Our tractors provided the power for a good share of the
threshing and kept the saw mill, lath mill and shingle mill in
continuous operation. Various log saws and some ingenious cord wood
splitters were also in action throughout both days of the show.
Numerous other pieces of equipment were on display including a
selection of antique cars and trucks, a corn sheller, milk
separator, washing machine, etc.
For those not interested in machinery and equipment, there were
numerous working pioneer demonstrations on carding and spinning
wool, making rope, churning butter, and making homemade ice cream
and lefse. A popular new addition to this year’s show was the
Farmer’s Blacksmith Shop with its portable forge.
There were also displays of household antiques and such varied
collections as barbed wire, spark plugs, buttons, etc.
Special events included a band concert Saturday night and church
services Sunday morning. Throughout Sunday afternoon those who were
tired of walking around could sit and relax on benches in the
shaded park area and watch stage entertainment including square
dancing, an old-fashioned costume contest, and country-western
music by several area groups.
Perhaps the biggest boost to the Butterfield Show is its
beautiful location. When we say we have plenty of shade, we mean
just that! We’ve enclosed an aerial photo of the site to give
you some idea of what we’re talking about.
The site is located on a 160 acre farm at the edge of
Butterfield Lake, just west of Butterfield. The wooded park
alongside the threshing site runs for about a half mile and
provides an excellent location for exhibits, food stands, etc.
There’s also plenty of room there for campers and trailers a
great place for a weekend camp-out.
Plans for next year’s show are already underway with work
beginning on what will eventually be a complete Pioneer
Village.
The tentative dates for next year’s show are August 15-16.
Hope well be seeing you in Butterfield!
