1511 Iglehart Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota 55104
The 1974 Eagan Steam Show was held September 14th and 15th, on
the George H. Ohman Jr. farm. The show site is at the intersection
of Pilot Knob Road and Route 32.
The Ohman farm is located about seven miles south of the Mendota
bridge just out of St. Paul and about seven miles northwest of
Rosemount in Eagan township. The Ohman holdings consist of the
George Jr. home where the show grounds are located, and the
adjoining farm owned and operated by George H. Ohman Sr. and his
son, Marvin.
Corn, oats and soy beans are the main crops in production. Each
year oats are cut and stacked, usually at least eight stacks are
built in two four-stack settings. Stacked grain bundles go through
a sweat and enough time lapses after stacking so that the bundles
are dry enough to thresh.
Show time is also threshing time at the Ohman farm. The grain is
hauled from the machines in trucks and straw is baled when
threshing and show time is over.
Lloyd Belden came with his 65 HP Case, running Ohman’s 36
inch Minneapolis separator with wing feeders. Engineer Ted Knack of
St. Paul Park was on duty with this one.
A recently restored Minneapolis tractor with the 4 cylinder
motor under the hood performed well as it was used for a short time
on one of the big threshers. Oney Darson of nearby Inver Grove
Heights was busy with the grease gun around the threshing
machines.
George Ohman Jr. was sawing lumber with his 30 HP Minneapolis
engine in the belt. Reuben Boettcher was the engineer, assisted by
engineer Jim Mollenhauer.
Tractor plowing was demonstrated in a nearby stubble field.
Other activity included shingle sawing, lathe sawing, drag sawing
and a baker fan operated by gas engines. Ohmans have a large
collection of gas engines; most of them were running. Marvin
Boettcher was assisting with the lathe sawing.
Tractors owned by George Ohman Jr. include a 39-57 Minneapolis
gas tractor, a 17-30 Minneapolis, an Oliver 99 tractor, a two
cylinder John Deere, a 22-36 McCormick Deering, two F20 Farmalls,
one with cultivator and a 10-20 McCormick Deering all in running
order.
The two 36-inch separators, one is a Minneapolis and the other a
Red River Special and a 22-inch wood constructed McCormick Deering,
have been the machines used at the Eagan show since it began six
years ago. However, George Ohman Jr. has added six threshers to his
collection ranging from 22 to 28-inch cylinders in size.
A corn shredder is added to the collection along with several
units of horse drawn machinery.
Needless to say the Eagan Steam Threshing Show is a good one.
George H. Ohman is the manager. His wife is secretary and they are
ably assisted by George H. Ohman Sr. and his son, Marvin.
I met Art Anderson of Blooming Prairie at the Eagan Show. Art
and his wife, beside operating their farm and a large museum, have
an outstanding collection of machinery. He told me he owns about
100 gas tractors and five big steam traction engines. He has five
miniature engines and 100 small gas and diesel engines. He has an
old wooden Minneapolis separator, with 36-inch cylinder equipped
with a wing feeder.
Allen Danielson of Kenyon, Minnesota recalled our meeting a few
years back at the Zumbro Valley Show on Budenski Bros. farm.
The weather was ideal this year and Sunday, when I was there, I
thought the attendance was well ahead of last year, but considering
how good this show really is, people should come to see real grain
threshing in action as well as lumber sawing, plowing and other
activities.
So make it a point to be there next year. The Ohmans will be
glad to see you, and you’ll be glad you came.
