Exploring History & Discovering Your Spark
We're on week 3 of 52 for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge, and tonight's post is about my favorite photo. My family has a long tradition of farming. My Great-Great-Grandpa Johann Frederick came to America from Prussia in 1869 and settled on 80 acres of land in Sugar Island, Wisconsin. He farmed… Continue reading Week 3: Favorite Photo
Urban spelunking: Crew unexpectedly rediscovers an old Allis-Chalmers #tunnel Source: Urban spelunking: Crew unexpectedly rediscovers an old Allis-Chalmers tunnel
Grandpa and his BF Avery A tractor I remember visiting Grandma and Grandpa Frederick's house as a kid and Grandpa would dig out the photo albums. We would go through and he would tell a story about certain pictures--I wish I could remember them all! There was one album with pictures of tractors, equipment and… Continue reading Grandpa’s Tractors
I bet many of you have one of those, “ahhhh I wish I hadn’t missed out on that,” moments. That’s exactly how I feel about not getting the chance to see this tow tractor that Allis-Chalmers had at the proving grounds. These units were towed, several at a time, behind behind tractors to… Continue reading AC Proving Grounds Tow Tractor
Okay, so it's officially winter in Wisconsin with our first significant snowfall of the year. Yeah, we got a little snow last weekend, but it was barely enough to cover the ground and melted the next day. We are getting a good dose of snow this weekend--6 to 8 inches by the time it's all… Continue reading Bring on the Snow!
Every now and then I learn something new about Allis-Chalmers. One of those new tidbits I have recently discovered is the betatron lab the company had at the West Allis Works. Last year I had the opportunity to step inside this old testing lab and see some of the equipment left behind. The machine was essentially… Continue reading Allis-Chalmers Betatron Lab
There are certain objects you can own that give you bragging rights in a community of enthusiasts. Maybe you have a rare painting signed by the artist or a campaign poster signed by a beloved U.S. president. In the Allis-Chalmers tractor community there are a few tractors that come with bragging rights: A prototype tractor, a… Continue reading Last Off Line
In 1958, Allis-Chalmers announced that it would build a research laboratory for development and testing of nuclear technology. The 30-acre site chosen was a few miles south of West Allis in the village of Greendale, Wisconsin, a planned community built during the Great Depression. The facility consisted of 2 main structures totaling 27,000 square feet* of space for labs, office areas,… Continue reading Allis-Chalmers Greendale Research Facility
Farm technology is a constant evolving industry. I think about how much the farm has evolved in one hundred years. In 1915 fields were plowed and planted with teams of horses; grains were brought from the field to be threshed on the dooryard; milking a small herd of cows was done by hand. Today, farming… Continue reading Allis-Chalmers Fuel Cell Tractor
The Weekend Historian 