1511 Iglehart Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota 55104
When I arrived at the show, lumber sawing was in progress.
Reuben Boettscher was in charge of George Ohmann, Jr.’s 28 HP
Minneapolis engine belted to the lumber saw cutting lumber from big
logs. Ohmann’s 50 HP Case was belted to an edger, trimming up
boards and dimension lumber as it came from the saw. Jim
Lumber sawing was carried on as extensively as it has been other
years during the show.
Other activity included log sawing with Al VonBank and his
son’s drag saw which Mr. Von Bank claims is the oldest one in
existence. Narrow cuts from logs are sold as souvenirs.
Karl Marquardt sawed lath, with power coming from a 14 HP
Waterloo Boy portable gas engine. Shingles were sawn. This Waterloo
Boy engine is owned by William and John Llangenbach, father and son
of Hugo, Minnesota. John told me they have 90 gas engines, most of
them restored.
He said his brother, Doug, has two steam engines, a 22 HP
Minneapolis and an 8 HP Frick of 1882 vintage.
David Irey brought a 2 HP Primrose gas engine and a 1 HP type Z
Fairbanks Morse. He had a size Mack truck powered by a single
cylinder Briggs Stratton engine.
Ed Chick of Winona, Minnesota, had a 3 Hp Fuller and Johnson
engine. He also built two ‘half size’ Fuller and Johnsons.
He built two gas engines with two inch bore and three inch stroke.
He built other miniature engines, one scaled from a Rumely Olds and
two others scaled from an Associated Company gas engine. The
Ohmanns had 20 gas engines on display.
Leading the parade, which was staged about 2:00 each day was
George Ohmann Sr., driving his 30-60 Aultman and Taylor gas
tractor, pulling one of the 36′ threshing machines.
The lumber saw was stopped when Reuben Boettcher rolled the 28
HP Minneapolis into line. After allowing some of the gas tractors
to enter, Jim Mollenhauer pulled in with George Ohmann’s 50 HP
Case.
George Ohmann Jr.’s IHC TC 40 Crawler tractor operated by
his son, Kevin, was followed by several gas tractors, including a
10-20 McCormick Dering, a 17-30 Minneapolis, two 10-20 Farmalls, an
Oliver 99 tractor, a two cylinder John Deere, a 22-36 McCormick
Deering and a 39-57 Minneapolis and a Model Case. Herman Temtlin
did sawing at the mill and drove the 17-30 Minneapolis tractor in
the parade pulling a U.S. corn shredder. H. D. Bryant announced the
parade and did really well. In fact, he volunteered to page an
engine exhibitor for me whom I might not have found otherwise.
After the parade all activity was resumed with threshing and
sawing lumber drawing the usual attention. Both the Minneapolis and
Case steamers and the 30-60 Aultman and Taylor gas tractor were
used alternately on the 36′ Minneapolis and Red River Special
threshing machines both equipped with a wing feeder. Stacks of rye
bundles were threshed both days.
Now I would like to mention some of the people I either met for
the first time or renewed acquaintance with at the show.
One of the latter was Melvin Snow of Beldenville, Wise. Other
were Willard (Bill) Olander of Carver, Minn., and his brother,
Reuben of Minneapolis. Arnold Hessedal of Kenyon, Minn. has a 1931,
30 Farmall serial 921 fully restored. He is an old subscriber to
the Iron Men Album. He also has a 1915 Model T Touring Car, fully
restored. I met Robert D. Jensen of Clark’s Grove, Minn.
Retired from farming in 1978, he is an Album subscriber who attends
steam shows and intended to go to Mt. Pleasant this year.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Schroeder of South St. Paul, Minn, attend
steam and threshing events in their area. I renewed acquaintance
with Rudy Adams of LeSeur, Minn, who still operates a saw mill as
he has for years. I met John Figura of 411 White Bear Avenue, St.
Paul, Minn. He used to work around saw mills. He hauled water three
seasons for Mr. Gransee of Crystal Lake.