STEAM THRESHING DAYS

Upon arriving you find the show area south of the road and a hay
field on the north side of the road with no end of parking space.
As Ralph Truax and I came to the gate, we found Jeff Place in
charge. His wife, Jan, is Ed Huppert’s grand daughter, and as
they now have two children, they are the Ed Huppert’s great
grand children.

As to activity at the show, threshing was done with a threshing
machine, fully equipped using an oil pull tractor, a 25 HP oil
engine and steam engines for power. The small hand feed, slat
stacker threshing machine operated by a single cylinder 6 HP gas
engine, handles split out bundles very well and it is quite an
attraction. A corn shredding demonstration given by Ken Majeske and
Arnold Tyler was very well done. Lumber sawing by Hans Schmidt, Ken
Majeske, Jerry Merta and Arnold Tyler was in progress using a
McCormick Deering tractor.

Hans Schmidt, Ken Majeski and Jerry Merta own several tractors
that I will try to mention. They have a John Deere A, model 1937 or
38, a 1935 John Deere model B, a John Deere D, and a McCormick
Deering 22-36.

Kenny owns a Rosenthal corn shredder, which is either a two or 4
roll that was used in the demonstrations. Schmidt, Majeski and
Merta are neighboring farmers in the Beldenville locality. Not only
do they take an active part in the show each year, but they give
the show a lift by their constant activity. Arnold Tyler worked
with them by helping every way he could. These fellows used the
McCormick Deering tractor on the lumber saw, while staging at the
same time an exhibit of small gas engines grinding feed, running a
hand corn sheller and other small machines. In this collection was
a 2 HP International, an Ottowa dragsaw; a 4 HP engine, and a 4 HP
United engine, two bun-feed mills and a little Wonder sheep
shearing machine.

Among other small engine exhibitors was Tom Enderson with a 1
HP, a 3 HP and a 5 HP Keller engine. Myron Ochterhof had three
engines running. Each engine was running three machines. They were
belted to three pump jacks, a cream separator, a fanning mill, a
corn sheller, a grindstone and a washing machine.

George Wilson, Jr. of Eau Claire, Wisconsin had six gas engines;
one Monarch 1 HP; a Sattley 1 HP; two Nelson engines, one upright
and one horizontal; about HP; one twin; one single cylinder, also
two Maytag engines – one twin and one single cylinder.

Also in the exhibit, was a really miniature gas engine built by
his father, George Wilson, Sr. of Rice Lake, Wisconsin. It is
constructed with one inch bore and one inch stroke. It fires with a
spark plug and starts readily from a whirl of its two flywheels.
It’s hard to describe its size, but it is about the size of a
half-gallon milk carton, but by no means do I consider this
comparison accurate.

John Goldsmith of Amery, Wisconsin who brought a 60 HP Ideal one
cylinder gas engine to the show in 1975 told me he sold it, when 1
mentioned not seeing it in 1976. However, he did bring some small
gas engines. He had a 3 HP Aermotor engine; a HP Duro; an Easy HP;
an Elgin HP; a no 1 Eclipse; a 1 HP and a 5 HP Fairmont, and an
Eisman engine used for testing magnetos.

Rupert Wheeler of Rice Lake, Wisconsin had 5 gas engines, a
Hercules 1 HP; a Monitor 1 HP attached to a pump jack; a Novo 2 HP;
a 3 HP Rock Island and a 2 HP engine.

George Wilson of Rice Lake had a 3 HP McCormick Deering. He
brought his model Oil Pull tractor. It is powered by a 6 HP
Fairbanks Morse gas engine. Painted in all of the colors of the
Bi-Centennial, it represents Mr. Wilson’s fine creative
ability. The tractor pulled a light wagon about the grounds giving
rides to youngsters.

Claude Garton of Wisconsin was on hand with his usual fir e
display of small steam engines, his miniature sawmill and model
threshing machine. Heading Mr. Garton’s exhibit is a model Port
Huron miniature traction engine which he built, using 2 inch scale
to the foot. The engine weights 165 pounds and carries fifty pounds
steam pressure. He has an Advance traction engine and separator,
miniatures that he built in 1911. He has a Case engine belted to a
model sawmill, both miniatures. Other miniatures comprise four
steam mill engines, a reversible upright engine on an upright
boiler, and a stationary double cylinder engine. All of the engines
and the thresher and sawmill are in running order.

Charles D. McCann of 1036 Prospect St., LaCrosse, Wisconsin
brought his model steam traction engine to the show. Mr. McCann was
accompanied by his wife. They were married February 7th, 1976, the
date being his birthday. They seemed very happy and they attended
several shows in 1976, including Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. The engine is
a scale model of a double cylinder Buffalo Pitts and is capable of
rating 5 HP in the belt. It took Mr. McCann two & one-half
years to build it. The boiler has 22 flues, each one and one-fourth
inches in diameter. The boiler has passed inspection in Wisconsin,
Iowa and Minnesota. The engine is equipped with two injectors and a
water pump. Near the stack in front a small engine drives a
generator to light the fourteen volt R.R. head lamp and the lights
on the rear of the engine. A proportionate flat-topped water tank
and a light vehicle used for giving rides both testify of the
creativity of the owner-builder.

In 1928, Mr. McCann hired out as a brakeman on the C.B. & Q.
railroad. In 1944, the Chicago Burlington and Quebec promoted him
to passenger conductor. He was employed by the Burlington Northern
the last two years, when he retired in 1973 after forty-five years
of service. He wears a RR emblem on his cap and has one placed each
side of the head lamp on the engine. And now even though a year has
passed since their wedding, I am sure everyone who reads this joins
with me in wishing Mr. and Mrs. McCann a happy and prosperous
married life.

I recall seeing two steam engines at the Beldenville show; one
was Mr. Huppert’s 80 HP Case and his Minneapolis engine was
also being used.

The collection of old machines on display consists of 50 old
kerosene and gas tractors, 105 one-cylinder gas engines, 7 oil
pulls, from the largest to the smallest, a 1909 25 HP oil engine.
This is in addition to the display brought in by the exhibitors.
The old school house is filled with antiques, and it draws
interested people of all ages.

Mr. Huppert recalls the time when his father bought a Rumely Oil
Pull and a Rumely threshing machine and it was unloaded from
railroad cars at a town fifteen miles from the Huppert farm. Ed
drove the rig home to the farm. He still owns the engine and
separator which they used for many years doing custom
threshing.

A well, drilled recently, provides pure drinking water.

And now to mention some of the people who worked at the show
besides Mr. Huppert were A. L. Finck in charge of the chicken
barbecue, Fred Huppert who with his sons, Darrel and Danny, had
several tractors running, and Jerry Huppert, Fred’s brother,
who was busy starting engines and tractors. This should include the
friends and neighbors who helped with the show. Mr. Huppert is
grateful for their help. Jeff Place was in charge at the gate. At
the speaker and ticket stand were mrs. Jeff Place, granddaughter,
Delan Huppert, granddaughter and Mrs. Glen Peterson. At the food
stand were Mrs. Jerrv Huppert, Mrs. Bev Tomlen and Kathy Huppert,
daughter of Jerry Hupert.

The weather was good and so was the attendance at the 20th
annual Beldenville Steam Days Show. It is an event where localities
nearby and those from other states join in making it a successful
reunion.