[AT] OT: Flashback - Early Farmers Building County Roads

[ken knierim]

I think Dad called them something like a Fresno. He might have been
referring to something else, but that sticks in my mind (growing up in
Montana).

Ken


On Thu, 2006-01-26 at 13:32, Ronald L. Cook wrote:
> Ralph,
> 	I believe that tool was called a "slip".  At least around here. 
> Probably has different names in different areas.
> 
> Ron Cook
> Salix, IA
> 
> Ralph Goff wrote:
> 
> > Farmers building roads was a common practice here in Sask. in the 
> > thirties according to stories my Dad used to tell. "Road work" was a way 
> > of paying off your land taxes, or portions thereof. A farmer might 
> > supply his own team of horses to use on the equipment. Now I am trying 
> > to remember the name of the scraper type implement they used to dig the 
> > ditches and build up the grade. Sort of a big scoop shovel shaped thing 
> > with two handles and pulled by a team of horses as I recall. I've heard 
> > there was quite an art to making it work and not getting hurt in the 
> > process.
> > As years passed and machinery got bigger there were municipal 
> > "maintainers", basically a pull type grader on 4 steel wheels. It took a 
> > man on the platform to work the big wheels controlling cutting depth and 
> > angle. And I believe farmers would put their own tractors on the 
> > maintainer to grade the roads in their local area.
> > I've posted a pic before of one of the later maintainers with a 
> > Wisconsin engine powered hydraulic system that was used here in the 40s 
> > and 50s. Being pulled by a big old crawler tractor, not likely owned by 
> > a small farmer.
> > 
> > Ralph in Sask.
> > http://lgoff.sasktelwebsite.net/
> 
> 
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