8th Annual EAGAN Steam Threshing Bee

By Staff
Published on July 1, 1977

1511 Eglehart Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota 55104

September 11th and 12th, 1976 were busy days at the George H.
Ohmann farm. The Eighth Annual Eagan Threshing Bee was in full
progress and it was also threshing time at the Ohmann farm. A time
when two settings of grain, well stacked by veteran farmer and
thresher, George H. Ohmann, Sr., would fall a victim to one or both
of the 36 inch threshing machines equipped with wing feeders.

Lumber sawing was in progress both days with Reuben Boettcher
running George H. Ohman Jr’s. 30 HP Minneapolis and Jim
Mollenhauer with Mr. Ohmann’s 50 HP Case furnishing the power.
The large supply of logs kept the saw busy most of the time both
days of the show.

Karl Marquart sawed shingles. He is the owner of a large
collection of small gas engines along with several gas and oil
tractors. One of these is a 45 HP IHC Mogul of which he is quite
proud.

Lathe sawing and feed grinding were demonstrated. Steam engines
used to operate the threshing machines were the 65 HP Case owned
and operated by Ted Knack; an 18 HP Advance Rumely operated by
owner, Vic Wenzel of Rosemount, Minnesota and George H. Ohmann
Jr’s. 5 HP Case operated by Jim Mollenhauer.

Heading the gas tractor list, and also taking its turn on the 36
inch cylinder threshers, was George H. Ohmann Sr’s. 30-60
Aultman and Taylor gas tractor. This engine is in perfect shape,
and needless to say, it is Mr. Ohmann’s pride and joy.

Tractor plowing was demonstrated in a nearby field. Tractors
owned by George H. Ohmann, Jr., include a 39-57 Minneapolis gas
tractor, 17-30 Minneapolis, an Oliver 99 tractor, a two-cylinder
John Deere, a 22-36 McCormick Deering, two F 20 Farmalls, one with
cultivator and also a gas crawler tractor, a 10-20 McCormick
Deering, all in good running order.

George Jr. has a half-dozen grain threshers ranging in size from
a 20 inch cylinder to a 28 inch size, in addition to two large
machines, one is a 36 inch Minneapolis and the other is a 36 inch
Red River Special. Another thresher in the collection is a wood
constructed McCormick Deering, 22 inch, one of a very few in
existence.

In the line of farm machinery, a corn shredder, at least two
grain binders in running order, mowers, rakes, hay tedders, hay
loaders, gand and sulky plows; a Hero fanning mill and a feed
grinder, along with many other units comprise a collection reaching
over the years.

The small gas engine exhibit showing single cylinder gasoline
engines, some manufactured at the turn of the century or before,
now fully restored, always draw a share of attention at the
shows.

George H. Ohmann, Jr. has twenty gas engines ranging from 1? HP
to 7 HP.

Betty and Bob Holler of Richfield, Minnesota, members of the
Early Day Gas Engine and Tractor Association, St. Croix Valley,
Branch I, were showing five small engines. They also had a rope
machine, a corn sheller and some toy steam traction engines. One
engine they have is a 2 HP Miller gas engine built in 1895.

David Irey Of Minneapolis had five gas engines; three Fairbanks
Morse; one Root and Vandervoort and one John Deere.

Steve Helkenn of Farmington, Minnesota brought a 1? HP John
Deere and a 2? HP Sandow on trucks. He also had a 1? HP and a 2?
HP, both McCormick Deering.

Dale Lefine had a 2? HP Ingeco and a 2 HP Lindsay. H. J. Pearson
of New Brighton, Minnesota brought a 1? HP IHC engine. Les Goetzke
of West St. Paul showed a 2 HP Fairbanks Morse, a 2? HP aircooled
engine, a 3 HP John Deere, an Economy 1? HP engine and a
Briggs-Stratton washing machine engine. He also has a
Briggs-Stratton lawnmower engine with the flywheel on the
bottom.

Wayne Palmer of Menominee, Wisconsin, a member of the Early Day
Gas Engine Club brought a 1930 Maytag washing machine and a Dexter
washing machine used in the early 1900’s. He also had a butter
churn and a butter square cutter. He had a bicycle of the 1900
vintage. He also had a tray of 12 souvenir John Deere tractors
which were an exact replica of the original tractors.

Al Vonbank and son of Jordan, Minnesota were using a gas engine
to operate a drag-saw cutting narrow blocks from a cedar log. They
make red cedar wishing wells and do ornamental work using
cedar.

Daryl Gulden had a 6 HP Galloway, a 3 HP John Deere and an
Aermotor gas engine.

Duey Anderson and Dave Carlson had a Stover 2 HP, a Fuller and
Johnson 2? HP, a John Deere 2?, and an IHC rated both 3 and 5 HP.
They also had a Ward’s engine and 3 Maytag engines. They had a
two cycle engine they credited to Toro.

They brought a tractor they built using a 2? HP Hercules
engine.

It is always a pleasure to meet people we have become acquainted
with at the shows.

Gene Roggeman was on hand with Ted Knack and Ted’s 65 HP
Case. Mr. Roggeman built a model steam traction engine- more than
twenty years ago when there were very few model engines in
existence.

Art Uhl was assistant separator man at the show. I renewed
acquaintance with Vernon Smith who operated a Russell engine for
Art Andersen at the Eagan Show in 1975. He said he grew up around
steam engines. Among the spectators were Mike Kovic of Jordan,
Minnesota, his brother George, and Willard Boettcher of Jordan,
Ralph Truax of St. Paul, a former steam engineer in North Dakota,
Rudy Clemmensen who takes pictures, Ray Lins of the Jordan show,
and Ruben Boettcher of Jordan who was operating the 30 HP
Minneapolis.

James, ‘Jimmy’, Stewart of Minnesota City, Minnesota
came to the show as he has other years. He likes to join in on the
good conversation of the threshing shows. Mr. Stewart has quite a
line of machinery including both corn and grain binders threshing
machines and tractors. One of the latest additions was A Rumely Oil
Pull tractor and a 20 x 42 Belle City thresher.

Mr. George H. Ohmann, Sr. told me his father purchased his farm
in 1894, the year George Sr. was born. He grew up on the farm and
later became the owner and operator. It is the home where Mr.
Ohmann and his wife, now deceased, raised their family.

Today, Mr. Ohmann and his son, Marvin, operate the farm. Oats
and soy beans are the main crops. He enjoys riding the binder and
he is an experienced grain stacker.

Although the 1976 show was successful, the Ohmanns are looking
forward to a better show in 1977.

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