Rt 1, Box 39, Glenwood City, Wisconsin 54013
This is to tell you of some of the things I remember about
threshing days around here when I was a kid 6 years old and here
come the rig and as it got right at the front steps of our house, I
was standing between two of my big folks. The engine was puffing
off steam so I ducked back behind the door – guess I got a-scared
threshing rig. Every chance I had, why I’d get over to where
the rig was threshing.
Some one would go get a big pan of apples to take over to the
men. As it was dark then I could see the sparks puff out of smoke
stacks. We had two long tables in our shed. They used long boards
to lay across the few chairs we had. There were about 12 men at our
job. We got up three big stacks of wood for the engine. We always
stacked our grain here.
I loved to hear that first whistle in the morning as it was
still dark. One day my cousin was coming over and we were going
over to the rig on another farm. Well, my Dad grabbed me and
chained me to the wind mill tower the rest of the day.
I was along with the rig a few times as a spike pitcher in the
fall. They had a big bunk for the crew, room for 15 men. I was over
to Dresser Jc. Wisconsin. They threshed 6 acres of rye that
Saturday afternoon. Then the year before they had the Wisconsin
lumber jacks playing there for music. Then a lady started playing
piano and a concertina played along. Now that was the best music I
ever did hear. Then I got over to Beldenville too for Saturday and
Sunday. Had a dandy time there. My pal and I made us a pancake
breakfast Sunday morning. They had a nice cabin there made of
poles. They had everything in there.
I remember the day of the big sad blow-up on October 10, 1906.
The steam rig of owners were Charlie Brock and Tucker and they were
threshing a mile north of Emerald, Wisconsin. The rig was stopped
at the lime as the two men were down under the front engine fixing
a belt and two young men were standing right in front of engine. It
was a cold north wind day and ‘Then Boom’ – the blast was
heard five miles away at Glenwood City.
The two men in front of engine were killed and three other men
had steam on their faces. One man of crew still had big blue spots
on his face as long as he lived.
That was the end of that machine.
The ALBUM brings back the grand memories of far and wide. So
give us lots more steam threshing photos, I like ’em.
‘There’s Nothing equal to the self-respect that comes
from self-support.’
