The American Geographical Society Library at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee has an amazing collection of Sanborn maps of Milwaukee from 1894 and 1910. The E.P. Allis Reliance Works and Allis-Chalmers Company are among the maps in this collection. Each picture below will take you to the page where they can be viewed up close.… Continue reading Allis Sanborn Maps
Category: Allis-Chalmers
Construction of the West Allis Works
The merger of E.P. Allis Company, Fraser-Chalmers Works, Dickson Manufacturing Company, and Gates Iron Works formed the Allis-Chalmers Company in 1901. Following subsequently after was the decision to expand the Milwaukee Works. The E.P. Allis Company was operating out of a dated shop near Walkers Point. Location of the E.P. Allis Co. Factory Prior to 1901… Continue reading Construction of the West Allis Works
John Deere Letter About Allis-Chalmers
Here is some tractor history that Allis-Chalmers and John Deere enthusiasts can get interested in. The word in the AC world is that John Deere was rather pleased when Allis-Chalmers finally stopped making tractors on December 6, 1985. Rumor has it that John Deere was so thrilled that it (whoever "it" was at Deere & Co.) sent out a letter to the dealers… Continue reading John Deere Letter About Allis-Chalmers
Allis-Chalmers Tractor Production Ends
Today is a rather sad milestone in Allis-Chalmers History. On this day back in 1985 the last Allis-Chalmers tractors rolled out of the West Allis Works. The agricultural division had been sold off to Klockner-Humboldt-Deutz (KHD) of West Germany in May of that same year. The tractor plant was not included in the deal. Essentially KHD had bought production… Continue reading Allis-Chalmers Tractor Production Ends
Allis-Chalmers & Civil Defense Part II
As a follow-up to my previous post, I would like to fill you in on some new information that I received from the National Archives. I sent an inquiry to the archives about Allis-Chalmers' involvement with the development of the National Emergency Alarm Repeater system (NEAR). If you haven't read that post yet, click here.… Continue reading Allis-Chalmers & Civil Defense Part II
Allis-Chalmers and Civil Defense
I am beginning to turn up some very interesting material for my History Seminar project. I've gone through boxes upon boxes, folders upon folders. papers upon papers, and I have run into Allis-Chalmers a few times in the old Wisconsin Bureau of Civil Defense information. The company played two interesting roles in Wisconsin Civil Defense. One was devising a CD plan… Continue reading Allis-Chalmers and Civil Defense
AC Christmas Gifts
Christmas is nearly here and that means spending time with family and friends. There are some super-sweet gifts that are out there for the AC enthusiast. Films There are 2 new DVDs out that have digitally converted 16mm Allis-Chalmers promotional films. I am acquainted with the guy that put these together. They are outstanding quality and have… Continue reading AC Christmas Gifts
#5 La Crosse Works
The humble beginning of the La Crosse Plow Company started in 1860, when John M. Barclay and I.S. Bantan started the Barclay and Bantan Implement Works in La Crosse, Wisconsin. In May 1865, Albert Hirschheimer bought the small shop and carried on making horse-drawn farm equipment there, calling it the A. Hirschheimer and Company.* Hirschheimer partnered… Continue reading #5 La Crosse Works
Allis-Chalmers Acquisitions & Growth
Here is a list of the factories and firms across the world that made up Allis-Chalmers and the vast amount products they made. This can be found in Norm Swinford's book Allis-Chalmers Construction Machinery & Industrial Equipment. I think there might be a couple more that should be added, but these are the ones that… Continue reading Allis-Chalmers Acquisitions & Growth
The IV Series of the Allis-Chalmers D-17
A common question/problem people have with the Allis-Chalmers D-17 is identifying the differences between the 4 production series that were made. There are certain cosmetic and operational features that switched between each production. While cosmetic details can betray the untrained eye, the mechanical features don't lie. Let's take a look at the differences so that… Continue reading The IV Series of the Allis-Chalmers D-17
The Weekend Historian 