24019 Japatul Road Alpine, California 91901
Branch 22 of EDGE&TA held a very successful first annual
‘Spring Tractor Rodeo &. Engine Show’ Saturday, April
23, 1994, at Mike Martin’s Museum in Descanso, California.
Over 25 tractors and 40 or so engines, as well as several other
types of bygone era displays were demonstrated. These included,
just to mention a few (and I don’t mean to hurt anyone’s
feelings by not mentioning their display there were so many great
displays!): Hand and gas engine washing machines, a gas engine
cross cut saw, hand crank and treadle sewing machines, water pump,
windmills, lanterns, lock and key collection, old hand tools and
match books. We’ll need more room next year.
The tractor competition included a slow race, pulling contests,
and an obstacle course which had a balance board and a soft touch
chute. We also had hay baling demonstrations. Competitors and
exhibitors came from as far away as Colorado, Montana, Oregon,
Arizona and of course the San Diego area.
Winners of the tractor games had the pleasure of receiving their
ribbons from Bonnie Martin, 3 year old daughter of Sandy and Jim
Martin.
Pit barbecue pig was served with beans and coleslaw. Hot dogs,
hamburgers, popcorn and peanuts were also available. The ladies had
a bake sale.
This first show was dedicated to the memory of Kirk Thomas who
died while serving as president of Branch 22 in 1991.
Branch 22 will soon be scheduled to hold the National show for
EDGE-&.TA, and I do believe we will handle it with ease.
We want to take this opportunity to invite all EDGE &TA
enthusiasts to join us anytime. We have a camp grounds available
free of charge.
I want to again say ‘THANK YOU’ to all of you who worked
so hard and donated so much to make our show a successful event. A
special thank you to Cliff Northcote and his family, and Jack
Edwards and his family for all their efforts on the food
preparation. Better than 50% of Branch 22 participated in this
first annual show.
Now what has happened in the last several years all over the
country has happened in Descanso, California. Many groups of people
have gone about supporting an individual or organization dedicated
to preserving much of the early farm and ranch style living.
We now have Granny’s Living History Museum in the country,
on the old Granny Martin Ranch. It is about 85 acres of mountains
and meadows set up as a museum. Branch 22 has a place where they
can put on shows demonstrating farming and many other early day
life styles. A group of mountain men have also joined Mike Martin
in the building of not one, but two log cabins. Mountain men have
used the adz, axes and old type tools to construct these cabins.
They have made the adobe or mud to put their cabins together for
the fireplace chimneys, walls, foundations and all. One cabin is
complete and the other about 90% complete.
Several buildings are already constructed, roads in, etc. Future
plans are to restore Granny’s house and barn as part of the
display.
If anyone would like to stop, stay overnight in the campground,
and visit, someone from Branch 22 or the mountain men will show you
around.
That’s Granny’s Living History Museum. Show dates are
first weekend in October and first weekend in May.
