106 South Elm St., Newkirk, Oklahoma 74647
These old pictures were made in 1926. The larger, we were
beginning a big straw pile in Bob Macklin’s pasture. In those
days farmers who had large wheat crops and also had cattle would
often have a large crescent-shaped straw-pile made in the pasture
so the cows would have a wind-break while they ate the straw. I
smoke. It was a steam engine. Rumely 20 HP and a 36-60
separator.
In the other picture we are just at the moment of uncoupling
from the separator. It was a completely candid snapshot. None of us
knew any pictures was being taken. One man is beginning to unroll
the belt, one is unhooking the bundle carrier while another is
reaching for the coupling pin. Yours truly is the man on the engine
and you can tell that I have hold of the throttle with one hand,
the reverse lever with the other to back up an inch or two to get
slack so he can pull the pin.
The outfit belonged to George J. Chancel, a real professional.
Everything around his threshing rig moved with precision.
At that time my brother and I had a threshing rig and two
sawmills in Arkansas. During threshing seasons for several years
one of us would go to Kansas to run George’s engine while the
other ran our rig at home. George’s run was in the Ninnescah
River Valley southwest of Wichita. Fine wheat country.
