Agricultural inventions « San Joaquin County Historical Society & Museum

Nuts, Bolts, and the Holt 75

By Leigh Johnsen, on June 8th, 2011%

Remember the Holt 75 tractor that volunteers and staff at the Museum are restoring? (If you don’t, see the entry for March 23, 2011.) Not long ago, they removed the steering mechanism for repairs and hoisted the engine from the frame (left). Then they disassembled the engine. People close to the project tell me . . . → Read More: Nuts, Bolts, and the Holt 75

The Big Four

By Leigh Johnsen, on May 18th, 2011%

The other day, Museum volunteer Gersh Rosen walked into the library talking about the Big Four. The Big Four who entered my mind were major Allied leaders at the Paris Peace Conference that ended World War I: U.S. president Woodrow Wilson, British prime minister David Lloyd George, Premier Georges Clemenceau of France, and Italian premier Vittorio . . . → Read More: The Big Four

Early “Caterpillar” Tractor Undergoes Restoration

By David Stuart, on March 23rd, 2011%

One of the most famous inventions in San Joaquin County history is the track-laying tractor, which today we associate with the name Caterpillar. This milestone in technology was well-suited to the deep peat soil of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and will be linked forever to the name of Stockton inventor and entrepreneur Benjamin Holt (1849-1920).

The Holt . . . → Read More: Early “Caterpillar” Tractor Undergoes Restoration

Fresno Scraper to Be Recognized

By Leigh Johnsen, on March 16th, 2011%

The horse-drawn Fresno Scraper, an earthmoving and ditch digging apparatus that contributed to the expansion of American farming at the turn of the twentieth century and played a role in the massive earthmoving work for construction of the Panama Canal, will be re-designated by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) as a Historic Mechanical Engineering . . . → Read More: Fresno Scraper to Be Recognized

Who Invented the Fresno Scraper?

By David Stuart, on February 23rd, 2011%

I’m an anthropologist/archaeologist and not much inclined to embrace the “great man” approach to history. I suspect that many creative individuals had a hand in developing what became the landmark, horse-drawn Fresno scraper (photo at left). The desire to level San Joaquin Valley land for irrigation and dig ditches was the initial driver. And the mechanical . . . → Read More: Who Invented the Fresno Scraper?

Tomatoes and Machines

By Leigh Johnsen, on February 16th, 2011%

I don’t know about you, but I find the appearance of the machine at left somewhat menacing. Give it limbs and tentacles, and I see it fitting nicely into the set of a science fiction movie from the 1930s.

But this is not a robot or space alien. It’s a tomato harvester, one of the . . . → Read More: Tomatoes and Machines

Tule Shoes

By Leigh Johnsen, on February 9th, 2011%

What in the world is a tule shoe?

A couple weeks ago, collection manager Julie Blood retreated into the storage areas of the Museum and emerged with the two similar objects, one of which is pictured at left. She placed them on a work table next to her desk and members of the staff gathered around like . . . → Read More: Tule Shoes

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