[AJD] Deere collecting thoughts - Paul O

[Duane Larson]

Paul,
I skimmed the first issues of "Farm Album" (first issue Winter 1946) - it was renamed "Iron-Men Album" later - and the March-April 1953 had an article titled "Some John Deere History", along with a picture of a Waterloo Boy tractor exhibited at the 1952 Mt. Pleasant, IA show.  The WB appears to have been restored.  The main thrust of the magazine was steam, but the Want Ads occasionally offered a McCormick Deering 15-30 or a Case crossmount.  This was the first mention of John Deere tractors.

When I was growing up in Wisconsin in the early '50's a neighbor had two Oil Pull tractors which they had "restored" and drove in parades.  One old D used to show up in a local parade also and it was restored - the farmer didn't use it any longer.  He also had a couple of unstyled models but I no longer remember the models.

I think it would be quite interesting to ask Don Duffner, the Burns in Nebraska, etc. about the early days of collecting as I bet they have some good stories.  Don usually comes to the GOG, and that would be a good time.  He was the first member to sign up when LeRoy Klein started the Two Cylinder Club in Minot, ND in February 1981.

The hobby of Deere collecting was definitely well underway by the early 60's - Mike Holder started his collection in that time frame.  

I doubt one can identify the "first person to become a two-cylinder tractor collector"!  That was one of the reasons Elmer Ritzman started Farm Album - to identifiy and unite (in his case steam) collectors with similar interests in farm machinery - get them together at threshing shows and learn they were not the only person in the world with such an "odd" interest.

Since the '70's several large collections of Deere's have been assembled and (in some cases) dispursed (Clarence Criswell being an early example).  But rest assured they were not the beginners of this hobby.

Sorry for the long post - I wonder if it will get through.  I'm emailing it to Paul separately.
Duane Larson