1511 Iglehart Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota 55104
August 12 and 13, 1978 was the date of the 14th Annual Scott
Carver Show. The site of the show is located about two miles
southwest of Jordan, Minnesota near Highway 169.
The weather was ideal and a good sized crowd was in attendance
both days. The show area is always an interesting place, with
something for everyone of all ages, where the talent and ability of
the great people of the past generations combined engineering and
mechanical skills to produce efficient machinery for the farm, the
railroads, factories and all industries. Their efforts helped
foreign countries as well, and we in turn received many useful
inventions from them.
When I arrived at the show on Saturday forenoon, lumber sawing
was in progress. Joe Selly with his 22 HP Advance, was on the power
end with Frank Boehne as the sawyer. A large lineup of gas tractors
of all sizes were being serviced for the afternoon parade.
I dropped into the galvanized iron exhibition building where Ray
Lins and Jack Strand have a large collection of stationary steam
engines which they have purchased and restored during the last 10
years. I will try to list some of them. One of the fine engines I
have seen there is a 52 HP Howell engine owned by Dennis Krill and
Jack Strand. Another is a 36 HP Atlas, 110 RPM acquired from the
Gluck Brewery of Minneapolis; a 42 HP James Leffel engine owned by
Ray Lins; an upright 7×7 engine belongs to Mr. Lins; an upright
owned by Lins and Strand, along with two upright engines, one 2? x
3? used in a Stillwater, Minnesota, creamery, the other a center
crank upright of about the same size, made in Germany. There is
also a 12 HP Troy engine. These engines are ready to run on steam
piped from a 35 HP wood fired boiler placed outside. While the
above list is not complete, it gives some idea of the fine exhibit
these fellows have built up and are still building.
A blacksmith shop, located in this building is operated by Ralph
Harvey, a building contractor of the Minnetonka, Wayzata area who
does blacksmithing as a hobby. He makes miniature horseshoes which
he sells for souvenirs. While he shapes the hot iron with his
hammer at the anvil, his wife, Mary Jane answers questions and
sells horseshoes. Martin Luebke was his assistant blacksmith. Mr.
Harvey is building a 1/4 gauge model railroad engine using alcohol
for fuel. As we leave the building, we pass a huge 175 HP steam
boiler which they hope to have installed by the time another show
rolls around.
The Stage Coach Fast Draw Club of Shakopee, Minnesota
demonstrated shootouts by firing long barrel hand guns loaded with
blanks at each other. It was a reenactment of conditions in the
days of old west when lawmen and outlaws fought it out. The club
brought their cannon, supposedly of Civil War vintage, which they
fired at intervals during both days of the show. A polka band
played for ‘listening’ and dancing at an open air building
both days of the show.
Phil Peterson of Hopkins, member of the Anoka Club was taking
pictures. He owns a 12-24 Hart Parr gas tractor, three John Deere
tractors, one a Model D and two General Purpose. He has a regular
Farmall and just bought a 1930 Caterpillar.
The Jordan Steam Pumper was on exhibition. It is exactly like
regular fire engines except it has a steam pump instead of a
regular steam engine. It was bought in the 1880s by the city of
Jordan and it was retired in 1925. Ermin Morrell of Jordan and
Willard Olander of E. Union, Minnesota, completely overhauled it in
1967. Painting, polishing, etc. was done by Ted Smith who was a
Jordan fireman. And he was at the last fire where it was used. Mr.
Smith is in charge of it. The boiler has 200 flues and steam could
be raised in five minutes.
A parade was held about 2:00 each afternoon. Engineers with
steam engines taking part were John Schoening’s 50 HP Case, Jim
Mollenhauer with Bill dander’s 22 HP Advance, Joe Selly with
his 22 HP Advance; George Ohmann with Jim Mollenhauer’s 24 HP
Minneapolis and Florian C. Kart with Ermin Morell’s 16 HP
Advance.
Some of the gas tractors in the parade were Ray Pearson’s
20-42 Nichols & Shepard gas tractor, George Ohmann’s TD 40
Crawler IHC driven by Kevin Ohmann. Before we go on with them,
we’ll mention Rudy Adams of LeSeur, Minnesota with a 28 Hp
Minneapolis steamer, and Dick Lindquist with a 60 HP Buffalo
Springfield steam road roller owned by him in partnership with Jack
Strand. It was used on street paving in South St. Paul. It could
flatten out almost anything.
A gas powered road roller was on hand from the Schoening
collection. They had their 35-70 Minneapolis gas tractor, a small
Twin City and 1929 Forklift tractor, and their 65 HP Crawler
tractor, and a 30 HP Crawler. Frank Boehme drove his 4 plow Allis
Chalmers in the parade. In addition to the 50 HP Case, the
Schoenings have two other steam engines; a 12 HP Russell and an 18
HP Case portable. Their list of tractors here is incomplete, more
at home. Mike Lins drove a 1949 Page garden tractor in the parade.
Ed Soley of Maple Plain, Minnesota was the driver of the above
mentioned 1917 35-70 Minneapolis owned by John Schoening. A 38-42
John Deere tractor was driven by a 10 year old boy. A Model C Case
tractor was driven by Shirely Nelson. There was an F-12 Farmall
from Atwater, Minnesota. Jeff Kerko of Bell Plain, Minnesota drove
a 10-20 McCormick Deering. Another 10-20 McCormick Deering pulled
the Gopher thresher in the parade. Scott Irey drove a miniature
Mack truck or rather it is a model built by his father. The Aultman
and Taylor 30-60 gas tractor owned by the Boetcher family was in
the parade. Antique vehicles in the parade included a 1925 Mack
truck and several cars. William Boetcher was on the parade
committee.
What proved to be a special attraction was when a two year old
boy, little John Hennes, gave demonstrations at the controls of a
16 HP small bulldozer, a crawler gas tractor complete with a blade
in front and a plow attached at the rear. Under the watchful eye of
his father, Bill Hennes, a gravel contractor at Jordan, he moved
the machine ahead, reversed it and turned it. He dropped the plow
in the ground at the plowing demonstration and actually plowed.
There was a short interruption, however, when his dad had to take
him to the family car to change his diapers.
When the parade was over, threshing, lumber sawing and a Baker
fan were main attractions. George Ohmann Jr., had Jim
Mollenhauer’s 24 HP Minneapolis steamer belted to the fan.
Down at the grain stacks, Bill Olander’s 22 HP Advance
engine and 32′ Case separator with wing feeder was threshing
oats and Jim Mollenhauer was the engineer.
At another location, Florian C. Karl had Ermin Morrell’s 16
HP Advance running the Gopher thresher, threshing oats. The Gopher
threshing machine was manufactured during the 1920s at New Prague,
Minnesota. Mr. Karl was one of the mechanics at the factory. The
late Joseph T. Rynda, Jr. ‘Steam Engine Joe’ was shop
foreman.
At the plowing demonstration, honors went to John
Schoening’s 65 HP Crawler gas tractor and George Ohmann’s T
‘D’ Crawler. Both took turns on an 8 bottom plow. Mr.
Ohmann told me he won a trophy in a tractor pull contest at
Rosemount the week before in tough competition. Mr. Kleir drove a
fine team of horses hitched to a flat topped wagon most of the time
loaded with people.
I did not get to see many of the small gas engine people.
However, I did have a chat with Bob Holler and his wife, Betty. Bob
is president of the St. Croix Valley Early Day Engine Club. The
Hollers had six engines at the show. With a background of six years
restoring engines, he’ll be working at restoring four this
winter. They gave away rope souvenirs made on a machine.
Courtesy of R. G. Lins, 13613 4 Avenue, South,
Burnsuille, Minnesota 55337.
Rudy Adams is relaxing on his Minneapolis steam engine. This is
one of the dozen steam traction engines which operated during the
1978 Scott-Carver Show.
Daryl Gulden had a 6 HP Galloway, a Maytag and other
engines.
I saw my friend, Bud Wolf of St. Paul and the Lake Elmo Show. He
told me Lehardt Frederic h bought a 25-50 Aultman and Taylor gas
tractor at the late Archie Stevens auction this summer.
It is always nice to meet people you know so it was a pleasure
to meet Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Belden at the show. Mr. Belden, a
Northwest Airlines pilot now retired, has five Case steam engines
ranging in size from 30 HP to 80 HP. The Beldens live at St. Paul
Park, Minnesota.
I met Henry Bendzick of Jordon. We had an enjoyable chat. At the
gate, I met Doris Bruhn and Darlene Luebke, ticket sellers. They
helped me install a camera film in a camera that I knew little
about. I met Mr. and Mrs. Harold Peterson of Mound, Minnesota who
were attending their first steam show, and so like they all do, the
1978 Scott-Carver Show passed into history.
