Northwest Antique Power

By Staff
Published on April 1, 2004
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Detail of the friction drive on a 1921 American sawmill No. 1.
Detail of the friction drive on a 1921 American sawmill No. 1.
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Bob Mays gets ready to start his barn-fresh 5 HP Economy gasoline engine.
Bob Mays gets ready to start his barn-fresh 5 HP Economy gasoline engine.
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On Sept. 6 and 7, 2003, the fog lifted from the Flathead Valley,
and our show grounds once again opened for the annual Northwest
Antique Power Association Show in Columbia Falls, Mont. For the
2003 show we had 132 engines, 34 tractors and three steam engines
on site.

Neil Meyer of Salmon Prairie, Mont., brought a 1921 American
sawmill No. 1 that he completely restored in only nine months. The
No. I has a straight friction on the mandrel, which is movable to
any position on the disc. Neil got power for sawing lumber from a
1914 50 HP J.I. Case steam engine owned by 90-year-old Austin Monk,
and it was definitely a crowd-pleaser. As one person was overheard
to say, ‘I never knew where or how lumber was made until I saw
this sawmill.’

About 70 photographers from all over the country attended the
show on Sunday, and they were taken back as most of them had never
attended such a show. Attendance was strong both days, and
preparations for our 2004 show are in swing. Come out and help us
celebrate next year’s Northwest Antique Power Association Show
in Columbia Falls, Mont., Sept. 11-12, 2004.

For more information, contact John Edgerton at: 27 Loon Lake
Road, Bigfork, MT 59911; (406) 837-4795.

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