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- Aultman-Taylor Steam Traction Engine, circa 1886 -
- circa 1886
- Collections - Artifact
Aultman-Taylor Steam Traction Engine, circa 1886
- Port Huron Steam Traction Engine, "Longfellow," 1916 - The late 19th to early 20th centuries saw huge steam engines like this used for threshing grain. They could move over the roads under their own power. Individual farmers generally did not own such machines. Rather, men made a business of moving from farm to farm, threshing grain during harvest time. Joseph Freund of Westphalia, Michigan, bought this machine in 1917 and used it to power a Port Huron "Rusher" thresher-separator in Clinton and Ionia Counties, Michigan.
- December 22, 1916
- Collections - Artifact
Port Huron Steam Traction Engine, "Longfellow," 1916
The late 19th to early 20th centuries saw huge steam engines like this used for threshing grain. They could move over the roads under their own power. Individual farmers generally did not own such machines. Rather, men made a business of moving from farm to farm, threshing grain during harvest time. Joseph Freund of Westphalia, Michigan, bought this machine in 1917 and used it to power a Port Huron "Rusher" thresher-separator in Clinton and Ionia Counties, Michigan.
- Engineer and Fireman aboard Traction Engine, Pulling Load of Asbestos, circa 1910 - This self-propelled steam traction engine hauls wagonloads of asbestos. Now notorious for associated health hazards, asbestos was a celebrated mineral commonly used by manufacturers and builders well into the 20th century.
- circa 1910
- Collections - Artifact
Engineer and Fireman aboard Traction Engine, Pulling Load of Asbestos, circa 1910
This self-propelled steam traction engine hauls wagonloads of asbestos. Now notorious for associated health hazards, asbestos was a celebrated mineral commonly used by manufacturers and builders well into the 20th century.
- Young Boy Standing in Front of Holt Steam Traction Engine, circa 1890 - Inventor and entrepreneur Benjamin Holt envisioned a mechanical alternative to horse-drawn machinery. He built an experimental steam traction engine in 1890 (probably the model pictured here), continued to improve his designs, and incorporated the Holt Manufacturing Company two years later. Holt's company became an industry leader and eventually evolved into the hugely successful Caterpillar manufacturing corporation.
- circa 1890
- Collections - Artifact
Young Boy Standing in Front of Holt Steam Traction Engine, circa 1890
Inventor and entrepreneur Benjamin Holt envisioned a mechanical alternative to horse-drawn machinery. He built an experimental steam traction engine in 1890 (probably the model pictured here), continued to improve his designs, and incorporated the Holt Manufacturing Company two years later. Holt's company became an industry leader and eventually evolved into the hugely successful Caterpillar manufacturing corporation.
- Avery Steam Traction Engine, circa 1916 - Massive steam engines like the Avery were generally used on the large farms of the Great Plains, though this engine was used on Ford Farms in Dearborn, Michigan. It generated 30 horsepower, but weighed 23 tons! More efficient tractors, like the Fordson, which could generate 20 horsepower but weighed just over one ton, soon replaced these dinosaurs of the farm.
- circa 1916
- Collections - Artifact
Avery Steam Traction Engine, circa 1916
Massive steam engines like the Avery were generally used on the large farms of the Great Plains, though this engine was used on Ford Farms in Dearborn, Michigan. It generated 30 horsepower, but weighed 23 tons! More efficient tractors, like the Fordson, which could generate 20 horsepower but weighed just over one ton, soon replaced these dinosaurs of the farm.
- Westinghouse Steam Traction Engine, 1885 -
- 1885
- Collections - Artifact
Westinghouse Steam Traction Engine, 1885
- Peerless Engine Photographed on the Grounds of the Ford Engineering Laboratory, Dearborn, Michigan, September 1929 -
- September 04, 1929
- Collections - Artifact
Peerless Engine Photographed on the Grounds of the Ford Engineering Laboratory, Dearborn, Michigan, September 1929
- 1888 Rubicon Steam Traction Engine outside Henry Ford Museum, August 1939 -
- August 16, 1939
- Collections - Artifact
1888 Rubicon Steam Traction Engine outside Henry Ford Museum, August 1939
- Rubicon Steam Traction Engine, 1885-1888 -
- 1885-1888
- Collections - Artifact
Rubicon Steam Traction Engine, 1885-1888
- Port Huron Steam Traction Engine Pulling Dump Wagons, circa 1895 - Henry Ford kept this photograph in a picture frame where he could see it daily. It reminded him of a pivotal moment in his youth. In July 1876, he had his first encounter with a similar steam traction engine. He never forgot the revelation of what could be done by a machine moving over the road under its own power.
- circa 1895
- Collections - Artifact
Port Huron Steam Traction Engine Pulling Dump Wagons, circa 1895
Henry Ford kept this photograph in a picture frame where he could see it daily. It reminded him of a pivotal moment in his youth. In July 1876, he had his first encounter with a similar steam traction engine. He never forgot the revelation of what could be done by a machine moving over the road under its own power.