Usually, I write about old cars or trucks, but today I’m writing about tractors, particularly about John Deere tractors and the man that started the company, plus an East Bay location where you can view this piece of machinery.
John Deere, born in 1804, was a pretty clever blacksmith working in Vermont. But the New England economy crumbled in 1836, so he moved to Illinois and started a blacksmith shop in Grand Detour.
There he learned that the farmers generally used cast-iron plows and the soil would stick to the equipment, requiring the farmer to scrape it off every few feet. Deere was convinced that a highly-polished surface plow would do much better in the sticky soil.
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He was right.
Deere made a plow using steel from a broken sawblade and his business was born. In 1848 he moved his business to Moline, Illinois, along the Mississippi River for waterpower, and that is where the company is still headquartered.
The company was incorporated in 1868 under the Deere and Company name. Deere, himself, was active in civic activities and in 1873 became the second mayor of Moline. He built his first tractor in 1918. Many consider John Deere products to be the “Cadillac” of the agricultural community, which is California’s largest industry.
From 1923 to 1953 John Deere tractors used 465-cubic inch, two-cylinder, side-by-side engines rated at 30 horsepower. The tractors were easily recognizable by the unique engine sound, unlike any other engine. The company used steel wheels with cleats until about 1936. Like other automotive companies, early on John Deere made bicycles and later snowmobiles.
It has been reported that during the Great Depression, Deere and Company never repossessed any equipment from American farmers. During WWII, Deere manufactured military tractors and transmissions for the M3 tank as well as aircraft parts, plus ammunition to support the war effort. As of 2023, the company is the 84th largest corporation in the country. They have used the clever slogan “Nothing Runs Like a Deere” since 1971, and employ nearly 83,000 employees worldwide.
We are fortunate to have the Blackhawk Museum in Danville to learn and view some of the world’s outstanding vehicles, but is there a place to view old tractors? Yes, there is. The National Registry Park owned by the city of San Ramon called Forest Home Farms. The 16-acre park land was donated by the Boone Family to San Ramon. They have about 45 classic tractors of different makes from the 1920s to the 1960s displayed, including John Deere, Farmall, Case and Oliver. It’s free and open daily except Sundays and Mondays. Guests can explore the area and the large white barn that houses the tractors.
They give tractor rides and have special events for kids every Saturday and a sheep-shearing demonstration in the spring. They have a program that brings over 4,000 third-graders to the park every year to learn about farm life in early California. The whole place is run completely by volunteers led by Carol Rowley, President of the San Ramon Historic Foundation, a retired San Ramon school principal and former City Council member.
I learned about the historic park, formerly a farm, when accidentally I met volunteer Dan Foster, the head mechanic. Foster has restored and is restoring some of the 45 classic and antique tractors and supervises about 10 other mechanically inclined volunteers. All their work is done in buildings at the park.
“We sand blast them, we paint them, we work on the engines, brakes, whatever they need. I call them parade-worthy,” Foster said. “The parade-worthy tractors are seen every year in the Fourth of July and St. Patrick Day parades in San Ramon.”
Have an interesting vehicle? Email Dave at MOBopoly@yahoo.com. To read more of his columns or see more photos of this and other issues’ vehicles, visit mercurynews.com/author/david-krumboltz.
