Man Sitting at Controls of a Modified Holt Traction Steam Engine, circa 1900

Inventor and entrepreneur Benjamin Holt envisioned a mechanical alternative to horse-drawn machinery. He built an experimental steam traction engine in 1890, continued to improve his designs, and incorporated the Holt Manufacturing Company two years later. The man pictured here operates an early Holt model. Holt's company became an industry leader and eventually evolved into the hugely successful Caterpillar manufacturing corporation.