100 Years of John Deere

100 years of

John Deere March 25, 2018

2 | Sunday, March 25, 2018

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices One Realty Centre would like to Thank John Deere for the continued involvement and contributions made within our community over the past 100 years.

www.bhhsonerealty.com 1118 Ansborough Ave, Waterloo 319-233-7000 401 1st W, Independence 319-332-1700 212 Main Street La Porte City 319-342-4041

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Congratulations John Deere

on 100 Successful Years

Our People Make T he Difference 104 Blackhawk Street, Reinbeck, IA (319) 345-2713

Sunday, March 25, 2018 | 3

4 | Sunday, March 25, 2018

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

How the Waterloo Boy became

‘Deere’ in our hearts

PAT KINNEY

pat.kinney@wcfcourier.com‌

I

‌WATERLOO n 1918, John Deere needed to get into the tractor business.

Waterloo had a tractor business.

The rest is history. Deere bought the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co., maker of the “Waterloo Boy” two-cylinder tractor, on March 14, 1918, for $2.35 million Deere now has multiple facilities throughout the metro area and 5,000 employees, the city’s largest employer.

But the 1918 deal wasn’t a sure thing.

Deere, founded in 1837, of Moline, Ill., whose namesake founder invented the steel plow, needed to start building its own tractors or buy another company — to stay competitive.

By 1918, the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co. was “a well-respected tractor manufacturer occupying a unique place in early tractor manufacturing,” author Wayne G. Broehl wrote in his 1984 history of Deere.

Deere executive Frank Silloway supported the purchase.

“We should have a satisfactory John Deere Tractor Co. in 1940. tractor at a popular price, and not a high-priced tractor built for the few,” Silloway told the Deere board of directors. “Here we have an opportunity to, overnight, step into practically first place in the tractor business.”

On March 14, when Deere’s board wanted to hold the matter over for a day, “Waterloo’s president called to say that unless the option Deere held (to buy the company) was exercised by that day the deal was off.” The The original check for $2,100,000 that was part of the full $2.35 million that John Deere paid for the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company for in Please see HISTORY, Page 6 1918, on display in the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum.

FILE PHOTOS

This 1939 John Deere Model B two-cylinder tractor made its debut at the 1938 National Cattle Congress. The Hippodrome, now McElroy Auditorium, can be seen in the rear. The tractor driver is dressed like the “Waterloo Boy” in trademark of the “Waterloo Boy” tractor, made by Deere and the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co., which Deere purchased in 1918.

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Sunday, March 25, 2018 | 5

100th anniversary celebration is June 15-16

‌O

n June 15 and 16, John Deere will host its 100th Anniversary Celebration. A series of events have been planned, including activities that will be open to the public.

The two-day event will feature 100 years of tractor innovation by showcasing 100 tractors between the Waterloo Convention Center and John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum.

Activities will take place in downtown Waterloo at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention The Waterloo Center, River Plaza and surMunicipal Band rounding area.

Both venues will include exhibitions, food, activities for the family and more. Multi-media and equipment exhibits will feature tractors and engines from across John Deere’s product lines over the last 100 years from around the world, and include company-owned and customer-owned equipment.

There will be working demonstrations at John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum, including blacksmith, ice cream elevator. A kids’ tractor pull/ maker, hay press and grain pedal tractor obstacle course

Live music Friday, June 15

4:30 p.m.,

STACKHOUSE

6:30 p.m.,

Chasin’ Mason Saturday, June 16 11 a.m., Those Guys 1 p.m., Waterloo Municipal Band

(to perform “Those Big Green Machines” written in honor of John Deere)

3 p.m.,

Chasin’ Mason

6 p.m.,

Joe Diffie

and a farm-to-table play area are planned.

Main stage activities will take place throughout the two-day celebration. There will be live music, including a performance by country music artist Joe Diffie. Visitors can park their vehicles and ride a trolley from the John Deere Museum to the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center.

Joe Diffie to perform ‘John Deere Green’ at celebration

‌J

oe Diffie is a multi-platinum-selling country artist who continues to write, tour and record.

He will perform at 6 p.m.

June 16 as part of the John Deere 100th Anniversary Celebration in downtown Waterloo.

With more than 20 Top 10 singles to his credit – like “John Deere Green,” “Pickup Man,” “Prop Me Up Against the Jukebox,” “If the Devil Danced (in Empty Pockets)” and “Third Rock From The Sun” – Diffie

was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1993.

The Oklahoma native was named Cash Box male vocalist of the year in 1990 and was nominated for a Grammy award in 1993, and won vocal event of the year for “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair” from the Academy of Country Music in 1993.

He won a Grammy in 1998 for best country collaboration with vocals for “Same Old Train.”

In 2010, Diffie released his critically-acclaimed bluegrass

album, “Homecoming.” Jason Aldean’s “1994” hit namechecked many of Diffie’s 12 No. 1 hits in 2013. In 2017, he embarked on the “Country Unplugged” acoustic tour with Mark Chesnutt and Lorrie Morgan.

The video of his most recent single, “Girl Ridin’ Shotgun,” featuring cameos by Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, Toby Keith, Lee Brice, Tim McGraw and Keith Urban has more than 7 million views on YouTube.

Special exhibits ‌ John Deere Attractions will install 15 tractors at the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum, John Deere Pavilion and World Headquarters Display Floor. These new exhibits will be in addition to existing permanent displays.

In addition, the Smithsonian National Museum of American

Joe Diffie

History will display a 1918 Waterloo Boy and kick off a year of exhibits and events dedicated to the history of agricultural mechanization and tractor development Iowa History Museum in Des Moines will host a temporary display this summer. The National Farm Toy Museum in Dyersville will open a new exhibit on John Deere toys.

6 | Sunday, March 25, 2018

History From 5

Deere board unanimously voted to purchase the plant.

Deere executive C.E. Velie later wrote company President William Butterworth: “I am more than satisfied we have made the best move Deere & Co. has ever made, and that it was an extremely fortunate thing that we were able to buy this plant.”

The first Waterloo-made tractor bearing the John Deere name, the Model D, rolled off the assembly line in 1923 — a company standard for 30 years, through many modifications. In 1926, the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co. was renamed the John Deere Tractor Co. Sentiment for unionization began during the 1930s. In 1942, a majority of the workers approved the United Auto Workers as the bargaining agent.

In 1947, Deere’s Waterloo operations became the John Deere Waterloo Tractor Works. Employment reached 7,000 by the end of the decade.

Deere began the 1950s with a 110-day strike that included the Waterloo operations. The dispute resulted in the company and union agreeing on a “standard hour” pay system.

The company began expanding beyond its downtown Westfield Avenue complex. In the mid-1950s the Product Engineering Center and Experimental Farm were established along what is now Deere Road.

The Product Engineering Center would undergo a major expansion in 1980.

In 1959, the company retooled for its New Generation series of tractors launched in 1960. In 1963, Deere & Co. passed International Harvester in total sales and became the leading farm equipment manufacturer in the world.

The present-day John Deere Foundry on Westfield opened in 1970.

In 1975 the Engine Works on West Ridgeway Avenue opened.

Finally, in 1979-80, the com-

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS pany opened its new tractor assembly division, at Newell Street and Elk Run Road.

By 1980 Deere employed 16,000 people in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls. Waterloo had became the largest site of Deere’s operations.

The 1980s saw a downturn in economic fortunes. Employment at Deere’s Waterloo operations dropped to 6,600

by 1986 and Waterloo saw a similar drop in population. The company and the UAW went through a company-record five-month strike and lockout in 1986-87.

The company’s fortunes rebounded in the 1990s, due in large part to new Waterloo-made Deere tractors. The company reeled off five consecutive years of record profits

from 1993-98, and again from 2003-08.

On Dec. 7, 2000, Deere announced a massive redevelopment of its Waterloo operations.

Several outdated manufacturing buildings along Westfield were demolished; others were renovated or expanded. A couple were set aside for the development of the Cedar Valley TechWorks, an agri-industrial

product development and manufacturing center that became the initiative of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance.

Concurrent with that development was staged retooling and re-equipping of the company’s Waterloo facilities over a number of years, including a new melt operation at the Please see HISTORY, Page 8

CONGRATULATIONS

on 100 Years of Making a Difference for our Community

Happy

Anniversary You’ve covered lots of acres in the last 100 years.

We feel honored to be part of your heritage.

A handful of John Deere employees believed in the value of a credit union. In 1934, the need for an alternative to commercial banks and other for-profit financial institutions was fulfilled when John Deere Employees Credit Union opened. These roots add strength to what members experience at Veridian Credit Union today.

Thank you for the support you give the Cedar Valley.

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JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

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History From 6

Waterloo Foundry, retooling of manufacturing lines at all plants and continued new product research and development at the Product Engineering Center.

New Deere-UAW labor agreements in the late 1990s and early 2000s established a “two-tier” wage and benefit system for new hires that ran contrary to some union sentiments but which Deere officials said allowed the company to “repopulate” its plants as workers retired. It also contained contract language that the company would return “outsourced” work back within local Deere factories when practical.

Concurrent with the redevelopment. local Deere officials challenged Cedar Valley community leaders to step up their game in education, recreation, housing and other aspects of community life to allow the

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS company to attract and retain quality workers.

It resulted in greater regional cooperation and the eventual merger of the Waterloo and Cedar Falls chambers of commerce into the Alliance. The area has seen significant housing growth and recreation initiatives such as the Cedar Falls SportsPlex and continued growth of the metro area’s sprawling recreational trails system.

Deere headed into its 100th anniversary in Waterloo climbing out of a downturn of about three years after three straight years of record profits. That downturn resulted in the layoff of nearly 1,000 workers at the Waterloo operations and other company plants.

The company began the year anticipating another significant round of reinvestment and retooling of product lines and a resumption of hiring after calling back a large number of employees. Employment is now at about 5,000.

John Deere tractor moves down the line on Jan. 23, 1976.

Congratulations on 100 years Founded in 1912, Western Home Communities also knows the Cedar Valley is a great place to call home.

Join the many John Deere retirees and others who’ve found a fulfilling lifestyle with us! Call Katie, Kim or Maria at (319) 242-5742 to make your move this spring.

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JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Sunday, March 25, 2018 | 9

Deere marks purchase of Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co. additional 2 billion people by 2050. ‌WATERLOO “It’s not just John Deere beohn Deere began its sec- ing in the tractor business for ond century in Waterloo 100 years; we’ve been here in Wednesday — with a look the Cedar Valley for 100 years,” back and an appreciation Murphy said. “And we’re refor the community that made ally, really, proud of that affilit a world leader in the tractor iation and what we have done business. together.”

Company execDeere’s Waterloo utives and comoperations have “I am more munity leaders grown over the last than satisfied four decades from gathered at the John Deere Tractor we have made the single original & Engine Museum Tractor Works site the best move on Westfield Avto mark the 100th anniversary of the enue to six plants Deere & Co. March 14, 1918 has ever made, throughout Waterpurchase of the loo-Cedar Falls on Waterloo Gasoline and that it was 2,400 acres. Deere Engine Co. The an extremely employs more than museum is located 5,000 people, inon that company’s fortunate thing cluding nonunion site — which grew salaried employees that we were into the John Deere as well as unionWaterloo Tractor able to buy this wage workers afWorks. filiated with United plant.”

“The tractors Auto Workers local behind us have —Deere & Co executive 838, the largest C.E. Velie, writing to literally transUAW union local company President formed the world,” in the Deere chain said Tim Murphy, William Butterworth on of plants. global director of Deere’s March 14, 1918 “Those very Deere’s large trac- purchase of the Waterloo dedicated employGasoline Engine Co. tor product line. He ees ensure every day we’re delivand attendees were surrounded by Waterloo-made ering the very best quality in tractors from throughout Deere our tractors around the world,” history, with a modern 8400 R across 140 countries. “They, series model in the background today, are building the very behind him, and another current best quality tractors we’ve ever built in our company’s history,” model in the main lobby.

Deere’s tractors have revolu- and contribute 24,000 hours of tionized agricultural produc- personal time in volunteer comtion, he said, and will help to munity work. feed a growing world popula“Over the past 15 years we’ve tion, expected to increase by an invested about $1.5 billion in the PAT KINNEY

pat.kinney@wcfcourier.com‌

J

MATTHEW PUTNEY PHOTOS, COURIER PHOTO EDITOR‌

Tim Murphy, global director of John Deere’s large tractor product line, speaks at the company’s 100th anniversary in Waterloo event at the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum earlier in March in Waterloo.

MATTHEW PUTNEY, COURIER PHOTO EDITOR‌

Neil Dahlstrom, manager of the John Deere archives, speaks at the companies 100th Anniversary in Waterloo event at the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum in Waterloo.

Cedar Valley in terms of new products and new facilities,” Murphy said, to remain competitive and attract and retain quality employees.

Among recent projects, the company in recent years invested $28 million to double the size of its Product Engineering Center in Cedar Falls

— the company’s largest product research and development complex, its largest expansion since the original building was completed in 1981.

Also the company recently finished a $150 million renovation of the company’s Waterloo Foundry down the street on Westfield. Deere is the only ag

equipment firm that has its own foundry.

“Between 2013 and 2016 we invested almost $250 million in facility maintenance, modernization and improvements,” Murphy said. “We have co-invested with the people we work with and our fellow citizens here. The Cedar Valley has been an enormous resource for us. The resources in the people and community partners have made this an invaluable place for John Deere to operate. Not only have we persevered through that time, we have really thrived.

I would very sincerely like to thank all the employees currently, and the retirees and all of the community that have contributed to our success.”

Deere purchased the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co. in March 1918 for a little more than $2 million. Company profits for the most recent fiscal year, which ended Oct. 30, exceeded $2 billion.

A year of company and community celebrations are planned to mark the 100th anniversary of Deere in Waterloo, including a community-wide celebration June 15-16.

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| SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 2018

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Museum displays

pride of Waterloo

ABOVE: The exterior of the John Deere Tractor Museum in Waterloo.

INSET: A 1914 Waterloo Boy Tractor from Rochester, Minn., is featured at the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum in Waterloo.

FILE PHOTOS

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum takes visitors on a trip through manufacturer’s storied history

A 1928 John Deere GP tractor is featured in the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum.

Sunday, March 25, 2018 | 11

“It’s fun to walk Waterloo folks through here, because they come in thinking they know John Deere and their city, and they walk out with a new perspective.”

Joshua Waddle, museum curator

FILE PHOTO ‌

COURIER STAFF

S

‌WATERLOO tep inside the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum and look upon a simple wooden walking plow that built an empire.

The plow is an exact replica of John Deere’s own 1837-vintage plow, which his company commissioned to be built to mark its 85th anniversary in 1922.

The plow is one of the first artifacts from the tractor manufacturer’s history visitors will see when they enter the new museum, at 500 Westfield Ave., which opened in December 2014.

The museum is a two- and three-dimensional tribute to the nearly century-long marriage of Deere and Waterloo, home to the company’s largest manufacturing complex worldwide.

The history of that partnership is the essence of the museum tour. Both of the

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Hours, admission The John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Admission is $8 for adults ages 13-61 and $4 for seniors, active-duty military, John Deere employees and retirees.

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For more information about tours and the museum, email WaterlooTractor&EngineMuseum@JohnDeere.com or call 292-6126.

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An early grill on a John Deere tractor at John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum.

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

FILE PHOTOS‌

A Froelich Traction Engine from the late 1800’s on display in the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum in Waterloo.

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JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

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FAR LEFT: A 1967 John Deere 4020 standard tractor in the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum.

LEFT: John Deere employees display case in the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum.

FILE PHOTOS

Museum From 11

museum’s curators —Joshua Waddle and Rosa Grant — were brought in as much for their expertise in building and running a museum as for their reverence for Deere.

“It’s fun to walk Waterloo folks through here, because they come in thinking they know John Deere and their city, and they walk out with a new perspective,” said Waddle, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history at the University of Northern Iowa.

Waddle and Grant have been involved in the project since May 2011.

Many visitors may not know, for instance, that Deere’s entry into Waterloo in 1918 caused apprehension among many in the community, Waddle said.

That’s because the Waterloo Gasoline Traction Engine Co. employed about 1,000 of the city’s 35,000 residents, he said.

“They really fashioned themselves as being Chicago, an industrial city in the middle of the Heartland,” Waddle said.

“Many of them were worried about what might happen,” that they might lose their jobs with the change.

The fears didn’t last long.

Deere quickly poured millions of dollars into building a modern factory complex on Westfield Avenue in downtown Waterloo.

Blueprints of the plan are displayed on a wall in a room dedicated to the original factory site.

Please see MUSEUM, Page 15

Congratulations on your 100 Year Anniversary!

1918 - 2018

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JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

COURIER FILE PHOTOS

A early John Deere all wheel drive tractor shown at the museum.

Grill designs through the years displayed at John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum.

Congratulations Deere & Co. for 100 years in Waterloo The Cedar Valley is greater because of you!

The Greater Cedar Valley Alliance & Chamber thanks you for your continued contributions to creating a vibrant Cedar Valley economy and for leading the transformation of the Cedar Valley into a center for modern, advanced manufacturing.

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Tractor seats have changed over the years in a display at the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum.

Museum From 13

Visitors also will encounter stories of other key people who guided Deere through its early years in Waterloo as the company led the steady mechanization of farming.

One person they will meet is industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss, who designed Deere’s Model A and Model B tractors.

“He took things that already existed and improved on them,” Waddle said of Dreyfuss, who also designed the Polaroid Land Camera, the Honeywell circular wall thermostat and Princess telephone and numerous other consumer products. The museum features examples of a number of his original designs.

Tractors are perhaps the most notable artifacts on display, but visitors also will find rooms dedicated to all facets of product and part design, from a drafting manual and slide rule to raw components.

The trail through the museum — appropriately, a long green line — begins with the earliest Deere machines and culminates with its largest — a 2014 Model 7290 R built in Waterloo for export. It dwarfs a comparable export-bound Model B from 1951, which rests beside it.

“That’s the biggest tractor we could get in here, but we wanted to show the contrast,” Waddle said.

There is a room devoted to dealers, as well, with memorabilia from several, including the Pulaski, Ind.-based J.P. Pulaski Co., which has been selling Deere products for 120 years.

The museum has been more than seven years in the making.

Planners have been careful to emphasize the marriage of Waterloo and Deere. They said the symbiotic partnership between company and city are the foundation of every exhibit.

“The thing that will resonate is that we tell the story in an unexpected way,” Grant said.

“People know of John Deere and Please see MUSEUM, Page 16

Sunday, March 25, 2018 | 15

FILE PHOTO ‌

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Thank you for supporting our Advanced Manufacturing career program.

Cheers!

To John Deere on your 100th year in the Cedar Valley!

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JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Museum

“It’s a story that speaks to everyone and also including the manufacturing side of it and the making decisions. That story is not just the John Deere story; it’s the mechanization of agriculture.”

From 15

believe they know the story, and we frame the story in a unique way that’s inclusive of a lot of different types of people.

The story doesn’t just speak to farmers or people who own or build John Deere tractors; it speaks to people who work.”

In other words, everybody, she said.

“It’s a story that speaks to everyone and also including the manufacturing side of it and the making decisions,” Grant said.

“That story is not just the John Deere story; it’s the mechanization of agriculture.”

It’s also about people, as visitors will quickly note when they encounter an abundance of fully restored vintage tractors on loan from collectors across the Midwest, including Waterloo.

Chris Boyens, brand standards manager with Deere and considered an expert on the company, has been involved in the museum project since 2007.

“My role has been more in help with directions, to help direct the story from a historically accurate perspective,” he said.

It’s been a long process, but visitors will find the work that went into it was worth it, Boyens said.

“It’s a true museum experience is what catches my eye,” he said. “They might be expecting a display floor, but in reality, they’re getting a museum.”

Dawn Hendershot, whose family has been working at Deere for six generations, has directed the museum project and will manage the facility.

“To me, our team has been working very hard at delivering what we think is a very high-quality museum that is going to be celebratory for the community and the company,” she said. “We’ve worked very hard at it, and it’s going to meet expectations.

“Now, it’s time to turn it over to the community and let everyone enjoy it.”

Rosa Grant, museum curator A video plays in the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum.

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JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Deere retools long-term investment in Waterloo FILE PHOTO‌

Jeremy Spore attaches parts to a tractor chassis at the John Deere Tractor Cab Assembly plant in December 2016.

Company has put resources toward product research and development and physical facilities improvements

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‌WATERLOO hat weighs as much as four top-line pickup trucks and has a gas tank the size of a compact car?

If you live in Waterloo, or more particularly work for John Deere in Waterloo, you know the answer to that question.

It’s one — just one — of those big-boy John Deere tractors that roll out of the assembly plant on East Donald Street. That’s more or less common knowledge. What may not be is the “big-boy” investment Deere has made in new-product research and development and physical facilities improvements in recent years.

“I would say from 2013 to 2016, at least a quarter of a billion dollars worth of modernizations and changes,” said Dave DeVault, general manager of Deere’s Waterloo operations.

That’s on top of the $1 billion invested in the 10 years before that.

Much of the physical improvements over the past year has involved reconfiguring operations at the East Donald Street plant for the production of the new models, DeVault said.

“Over the last two years we were introducing the ‘9 RX,’” a new four-track version of the company’s 9000 series tractor.

The 9000 is “the most varied model we offer today,” with four-wheel, two-track and four-track models. “We have to be able to build all three of these down the same line. What we’ve been doing the last two years is getting ready to introduce these varied models.”

Changes also were made to meet “Tier 4” emissions control standards.

Modernizations also were finished at the Product Engineering Center in Cedar Falls.

“Of course there’s smaller incremental changes on a continual basis happening inside the shop,” he said.

“We are continuously modernizing and upgrading our equipment to keep in front of the technology curves,” he said.

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS “It’s a different game than it was a decade ago.

“We’re going to continue to reinvest according to what product program we’ve got going on. We are continuously updating and upgrading the tractor models,” DeVault added. “In any industry, if you’re not growing and continue to enhance your products through technology, you’re not going to be around

long. Think about your car today. Even an ‘inexpensive’ car is decked out with all kinds of electronics. Used to be a heated seat was an unthought-of thing and now it’s commonplace in a car.

There’s a parallel to be drawn there. “Our customers getting out of a $55,000 pickup truck that’s got all these bells and whistles on it and they get into

Thank you John Deere for 100 years great years in Waterloo!

Sunday, March 25, 2018 | 19

one of our tractors. And there’s a little difference in price, so you want to make sure the experience is at least as good, if not better.” The days of the steel-seat tractors are gone, he suggested.

Deere support figures in to the future of the Cedar Valley TechWorks, where the company plans to locate a training center, and the continued development

of downtown Waterloo and the entire metro area. “We’re there to help,” he said. “If you think about 15 years ago what downtown looked like and what it looks like today, people wouldn’t have believed that could be possible.”

That development includes the cooperation between WaPlease see INVESTMENT, Page 21

Congratulations John Deere on your 100th Anniversary

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FILE PHOTO‌

Julian Roby lowers the cab to a tractor chassis at the John Deere Tractor Cab Assembly plant in December 2016.

FILE PHOTO‌

A tractor takes shape on the assembly line at the John Deere Tractor Cab Assembly plant in Waterloo.

Investment From 19

terloo and Cedar Falls.

“It’s really nice to see,” he said. “When I left 10-12 years ago (on another Deere assignment) and came back, to see the lines blurred between what Cedar Falls and Waterloo have become, that, to me, is a testimonial of the community recognizing that growing together and thriving together is the way to have a prosperous community.

“It’s amazing the transformation that’s happened,” DeVault said, particularly the TechWorks campus, located on a former portion of Deere’s downtown facilities where he previously worked. The adjacent Grand Crossing housing development “is awesome the way that’s transformed,” he said. “Downtown on Fourth Street, Hawkeye (Community College) coming out and building right there, the SportsPlex, that whole area in five years will look totally different than it is. Than it ever has been,” along with other downtown improvements such as SingleSpeed Brewing Co. setting up in the old Wonder Bread building.

He expected some Deere employees will take advantage of the housing downtown, particularly if they work in that area.

“I’d be suprised. Pretty short commute if they’re working downtown,” he quipped, “if they want to walk, ride a bike or skip their way to work.”

Deere continues to partner with HCC, the University of Northern Iowa and Wartburg College in Waverly for employees and 40 to 50 different colleges from around the country for summer interns.

“As we continue to reinvest in our community through the employees, they come from many, many places. And we have been very fortunate to continue to benefit from some very talented individuals,” including locally.

That includes an attention to diversity and inclusion in Deere’s 5,000-plus employee Waterloo workforce, as well as companywide. “We have the data on the

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS demographics of our employees,” he said, but it’s more than a numbers game; a variety of contributions to the end product are the key in a global marketplace.

“We recognize that the more diverse of a thinking process you can have, or the more diverse of thoughts and experiences you can have as you’re working to bring the greatest tractors in the world to the marketplace,

the better everything is. When you think through the dynamics of the world you serve, that’s where that diversity of thought really helps out.”

The metro area has continued to meet the challenge then-Deere Waterloo operations general manager Mike Triplett issued to the metro area some

Sunday, March 25, 2018 | 21

“When I left 10-12 years ago and came back, to see the lines blurred between what Cedar Falls and Waterloo have become, that, to me, is a testimonial of the community recognizing that growing together and thriving together is the way to have a prosperous community.”

Dave DeVault, general manager of Deere’s Waterloo operations

Please see INVESTMENT, Page 23

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JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

22 | Sunday, March 25, 2018

MATTHEW PUTNEY PHOTOS, COURIER PHOTO EDITOR‌

A banner as you enter the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum marks the 100th anniversary in Waterloo.

Mike Oberhauser, left, a shop chairman with United Auto Workers Local 838m talks with John Deere Waterloo Works factory manager Dave DeVault about history of John Deere.

Congratulations John Deere for being such a strong partner in the Waterloo Community for the past 100 years.

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Investment From 21

15 years ago to make substantial improvements to justify Deere’s redevelopment of its facilities and reinvestment in the community, beginning with the “renaissance of downtown Cedar Falls” that spread to downtown Waterloo and the rest of the community.

Deere and its employees continue to give back to the community, ranging from charitable contributions to volunteer work. In 2016, “we had almost a 50 percent in our increase in volunteer hours, over 21,000 hours,” he said, not all of which is counted.

It includes sitting on community committees and involvment with service agencies, including, for example, packaging meals for the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. “That’s become a blast for everybody,” he said, and a friendly competition among work shifts and facilities.

More than 127,000 meals were packaged in one day. Deere personnel also help with local ro-

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS botics teams and competitions through the schools, as well Junior Achievement and Partners in Education programs.

Some of the areas John Deere Waterloo Operations’ employees participate include: Support for Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) education and career path outreach. n Support for the Leader in Me. n Engineers Week classroom visits in February. n Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, also in February. n STEM Day at the Deere Engine Works in March. n Support for Project Lead the Way programs in both Waterloo and Cedar Falls schools. n The Cedar Valley STEM Festival in November. n Student elementary mentoring, including Women in STEM. n Partnering with UNI on several initiatives. n Cedar Valley United Way contributions.

This year, Deere will mark the 100th anniversary of its coming to Waterloo with the purchase of the Waterloo Gasoline Engine

Co., maker of the “Waterloo Boy” tractor. “It’s not early” to plan that celebration, DeVault said. “We plan on celebrating with the community,” and hope to cultivate community participation in that celebration. The company plans an “internal celebration” with employees and families within the various plants which began this month with a communitywide celebration anticipated in June 2018.

Deere plans to draw from some of its activities during the 90th anniversary celebration in 2008, but one asset available now that was not present then is the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum adjacent to the TechWorks site — where DeVault notes, the original check Deere issued to purchase the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co. is displayed.

“We are extremely proud to be part of the Cedar Valley,” DeVault said. “That heritage and history of what we collectively have gone through over that 100 years is pretty humbling. And we all have learned a lot in that century. It means the world to us to be part of this community. We’re very, very thankful that we’re here.”

Sunday, March 25, 2018 | 23

“We are extremely proud to be part of the Cedar Valley. That heritage and history of what we collectively have gone through over that 100 years is pretty humbling. And we all have learned a lot in that century. It means the world to us to be part of this community.”

Dave DeVault, general manager of Deere’s Waterloo operations

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JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

| SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 2018

Deere launches the Model “D”. A 1923 success from the start and the first two-cylinder Waterloo-built tractor to bear the John Deere name and now famous green and yellow paint colors.

1949

John Deere surpasses International Harvester to become the world’s largest producer and seller of farm and industrial tractors and equipment.

First John Deere diesel-powered unit, the Model “R” Tractor enters production.

1963 1934 The Model “A” Tractor enters production. A similar but smaller Model “B” follows in 1935. They become the most popular tractors in the company’s history, remaining in the product line until 1952.

1960 Four “New Generation of Power” tractor models are introduced and offer more horsepower than the two-cylinder models Deere had produced for more than 40 years.

“Nothing Runs Like a Deere” advertises snowmobiles, a new product of the John Deere Horicon Works.

1971

SUPERIOR QUALITY. STEADFAST COMMITMENT. Customer Commitment: Sales plunge in the midst of the Great Depression.

Though it’s losing money, the company decides to carry debtor farmers as long as necessary, strengthening customer loyalty.

1933

1958

1942

1918 John Deere buys the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company, maker of Waterloo Boy tractors.

John Deere charters The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, local unit 838 in Waterloo.

Deere & Company goes global. The company builds a small - tractor assembly plant in Mexico and buys a majority interest in German tractor and harvester maker with a small presence in Spain.

1953 The Model 70 is launched as the largest row-crop tractor to date. Initially available with gasoline, all-fuel, or LP-gas engine, it will become the first diesel row-crop tractor.

1965 Product Engineering Center (PEC) opens.

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 2018 |

1975

1997 2018

Overseas sales top $3 billion, more than the company’s entire sales total prior to the mid-1970’s. The company obtains an equity position in a Chinese combine company.

Engine Works (EW) begins manufacturing operations.

John Deere celebrates 100 years of tractors and its commitment to Waterloo

2010 With the shipment of the 744K Loader, Deere became the first off-highway equipment manufacturer to ship a machine, greater than 175-horsepower, that meets the United States’ Interim Tier 4 emissions standards.

1992 A program is launched to encourage installation of rollover protective structures and seat belts on older tractors. In 1966, John Deere introduced the first commercially available rollover protective devices for farm tractors, later releasing the patent to the industry without charge.

8400R is best in market

2017

CONTINUOUS INNOVATION. TRADITION OF INTEGRITY. John Deere enters the 4-Track tractor market with the introduction of the 9RX Series

1975 2002 Deere announces agreement to market John Deere branded lawn and garden tractors at more than 1400 Home Depot stores.

New Electric Foundry begins operations.

1981 The John Deere Tractor Works on Donald Street becomes fully operational. It wins an award for excellence in using computers in U.S. manufacturing.

2008

Deere announces plans to build a distribution replacement parts and training center in Russia.

John Deere introduces a record number of new products, most of which feature improvements in power, comfort and performance.

2011

2015 The John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum opens

25

26 | Sunday, March 25, 2018

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Millions & counting FILE PHOTO‌

Todd Fischels attaches parts to engine number 2 million at the John Deere tractor cab assembly plant in Waterloo in December 2016.

John Deere’s Waterloo engine plant delivered its 2 millionth engine built in December 2016

PAT KINNEY

pat.kinney@wcfcourier.com‌

T

‌WATERLOO he John Deere Engine Works can now hang a sign that says “More than 2 Million Served.”

Deere’s Waterloo engine plant, which began production 40 years ago, built engine No. 2 million in December, 2016, produced for a Waterloo-made Deere tractor.

The company marked that milestone as it completed assembly of that tractor, an 8345R model, at the Deere’s East Donald Street plant. The customer watched the final assembly as part of Deere’s “Gold Key” customer program.

“In 1918 we purchased the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co., so our history with engines in the Cedar Valley goes back nearly 100 years,” said Curt Cline, factory manager of the engine works. “The partnership with the community is most significant. In that period of time, our employees have retained a commitment to building high-quality products in here. So we continue to be a strong partner with the community. It is a milestone for production here in Waterloo.”

It isn’t all about tractors. The engine works also has produced engines for external customers, Cline said.

That diversified customer base helps the company and the community when the agricultural economy is down, said Darren Treptow, manager of worldwide marketing support for John Deere Power Systems. That includes engines for generators that heat buildings, air compressors, portable industrial equipment, wood chippers, specialty equipment used for harvesting fruits and nuts, as well as marine engines.

The 2 millionth engine is a big deal for employees at the engine works, said Kenny Hager of Cedar Falls, a 20-year Deere employee and member of United Auto Workers Local 838.

Every engine is important, Hager said, but this one is of historic significance.

“It’s a milestone for all of us.

It’s a really neat thing, because it’s big for the community,” Hager said. “A lot of people

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS asked me over the years, does this affect you? Well it’s brought up three or four generations of my family, working here. They told me the quality of the engine is what made that tractor green.

So I take it real seriously. And fact that it’s under one brand all these years is wonderful, the tractor and the engine. I’m the third generation. My son is the fourth generation; he’s an elec-

trician at the foundry.”

It’s as much a milestone for Local 838 as it is Deere, Hager said.

“Any time we can reach something like that, especially with the economies the way they are and the world the way it is ...

Never lose sight of that. These people are our lifeline,” Hager said.

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“It’s pretty exciting to come and see it put in the actual tractor after you build it.

Everyone in engine works has a lot of pride in what they do. I was proud of being a part of building the 2 millionth engine.”

Kim Elliott, Local 838 member and 12-year employee

28 | Sunday, March 25, 2018

Engines From 27

Local 838 member and 12year employee Kim Elliott doesn’t just build Deere equipment, he uses it. He farms south of Waterloo. “I use all John Deere equipment on the farm,” he said.

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS Of the 2 millionth engine, Elliott said, “It’s pretty exciting to come and see it put in the actual tractor after you build it.

Everyone in engine works has a lot of pride in what they do.

I was proud of being a part of building the 2 millionth engine.

And I’ve been proud of the work that I’ve done there for the last 12-1/2 years too.”

The engine was manufactured for AgriNorthwest, a large potato farming operation in Washington state.

“It’s an honor,” said Jerald Sanders, a farm manager with ArgiNorthwest, which maintains a fleet of Deere tractors.

He signed the tractor during assembly, one of the traditions with Deere’s “Gold Key” pro-

gram.

Kevin Pasker, purchasing manager with AgriNorthwest, said, “It’s nice to be part of an organization that has customer service and reliability and has similar values as our organization does. John Deere does.

That’s why we’ve aligned ourselves with them.”

His company has been doing

business with Deere more than 20 years.

“I think this one we’ll have to hang onto for a little while,” Sanders said of the tractor with the 2 millionth engine. He has no doubt the company will, based on its experience with Deere products.

“Green paint definitely stands up,” he said.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR 100th ANNIVERSARY 1918-2018

FILE PHOTOS

The tractor chassis containing engine number 2 million waits to enter the next assembly station.

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Jerald Sanders, with AgriNorthwest, the customer buying the tractor containing engine No. 2 million, signs under the cab at the John Deere tractor cab assembly plant in Waterloo in 2016.

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JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Sunday, March 25, 2018 | 29

Deere through the years ‌ hat has been deemed “The Long Green Line” of John Deere tractors and other machinery has made an indelible W impact on farming and industry. For the last 100 years, the company also has had a profound impact on Waterloo.

Here is a look at some early Waterloo Boy and John Deere tractors and equipment.

JOHN DEERE ARCHIVES‌

Waterloo Boy N improved, November 1920.

Terry Johnston’s Deere Model B sits near his home in Stout, pictured in 2010.

JOHN DEERE ARCHIVES‌

D tractor and binder, July 1924, in a field.

The John Deere All-Wheel Drive tractor was manufactured in 1918 in East Moline, Ill. About 90 were built. The first one was completed in April, one month after the acquisition of the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Co. This photo shows an All-Wheel Drive near completion in early 1918.

JOHN DEERE ARCHIVES‌ The acquisition of the Waterloo Boy line gave Deere a tractor that better suited customer needs.

30 | Sunday, March 25, 2018

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Deere through the years

JOHN DEERE ARCHIVES‌

John Deere Model D pulling model 5C plow, 1925.

COURIER FILE PHOTO‌

Charles Hobson of Kokomo, Ind. drives his John Deere 1954 tractor down Idaho Street for Fall Fest Parade in 2010, in Waterloo.

JOHN DEERE ARCHIVES‌

Plow B140 middlebreaker with unstyled B tractor, 1935.

JOHN DEERE ARCHIVES‌

Deere & Company president William Butterworth operating a Model GP tractor with front mounted Model 301 cultivator, 1930.

JOHN DEERE ARCHIVES‌

Waterloo Boy N with road grader, near Waterloo, June 1920.

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Sunday, March 25, 2018 | 31

C ONG R AT U L AT ION S ON 1 0 0 Y E A R S I N WAT E R L O O, IOWA

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32 | Sunday, March 25, 2018

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Vintage John Deere advertisements

ALL COURTESY OF DEERE ARCHIVES‌

John Deere 1926 power advertisement RIGHT: Advertisement for Type E engine FAR RIGHT: Advertisement compares fuel costs for a train ride from Denver to Chicago and a John Deere twocylinder tractor with two-row cultivator.

Advertisement for John Deere Model ‘D’ tractor with rubber tires.

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Sunday, March 25, 2018 | 33

John Deere archives store the company’s history BARB ICKES

Quad City Times ‌

W

hat a wonderful surprise.

I had no idea the John Deere Corporate Archives exists, let alone right under our noses.

In the rear of a plain-looking building on 13th Street in East Moline is a lovingly kept collection of everything you can imagine — and plenty you can’t — that tells the story of the blacksmith who put Moline on the map and the company that changed the world.

From row after row of hightech shelving (it moves and lights up at the touch of a button), to the 70,000 square feet of warehouse space is the vast Deere collection. Legal documents, manuals, advertising, film, toys, tractors, Gators — even John Deere’s two-piece wool bathing suit — have been carefully collected and stored.

I have no doubt, if the legal department would permit it, that many especially earnest John Deere collectors would wish to have their ashes stored there, too.

An invitation by Dan Bernick, public relations manager, got me in the door. And I’m happy to hold it open for you.

grown into a full-fledged museum that still is expanding.

Though some employees are granted tours and/or access to records, the archives are off limits to the public.

“This is not where records go to die,” Dahlstrom said. “These

records are used, and it is our job to know the collection.”

And what a job.

Consider this: If the acid-free boxes that are stored on the mobile shelving were placed endto-end, they would match the distance of 400 football fields

Dahlstrom said. “Research requests we got a few years ago that would take us the whole day now take just a couple of minutes, thanks to digitization.”

But you can’t digitize a tractor.

Please see ARCHIVE, Page 35

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years 100

How it got there

The John Deere Corporate Archives & History is relatively new, which sounds like an oxymoron.

But the collection didn’t exist until 1976. When you consider the company is 181 years old, 42 years of archiving suggests a belated beginning. And it was.

“It all started with two boxes, one was marked ‘Keep,’ and the other was marked, ‘Garbage,’” said Neil Dahlstrom, manager of the archives.

In the early years, the collection came mostly from employees. And the loot was stored in the basement of the Deere headquarters in Moline. In 1997, the archive was moved to the East Moline location, where it has

or the length of 1,537 Model D tractors. And, given the rate of expansion, it seems possible the number rose to 1,538 tractors in the six days since our visit.

“We have about 180,000 catalogued items, but one item could contain hundreds of records,”

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JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

ABOVE: The emblem on the Deere bicycle dated from 1894 featuring wooden wheels and a horse hair stuffed seat at the John Deere Corporate Archives.

LEFT: A Deere bicycle dated from 1894 featuring wooden wheels and a horse hair stuffed seat at the John Deere Corporate Archives.

KEVIN E. SCHMIDT PHOTOS, QUAD CITY TIMES‌

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JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Archive From 33

What they do‌

The archives are managed by a six-person staff, led by Dahlstrom.

The half-dozen brains each stores a specific collection of KEVIN E. SCHMIDT,QUAD CITY TIMES‌ knowledge. No one person could Hand carved wooden pediments from the former John Deere building ever contain it all. now reside in the John Deere Corporate Archives.

For instance, when we were studying shelves full of John Deere toys, collections manager Nathan Augustine pointed out that some pieces that were thought to be toys were, in fact, prototypes. How, I asked, could they tell the difference?

“There are six of us with different areas of expertise,” Dahlstrom said. “We can recognize and identify toys and prototypes, because we’ve looked at so many.”

At more than one point during our tour, I apologized for spending so much time gawking in the same area. But Quad-City Times photographer Kevin Schmidt agreed we easily could have spent a full day looking at the collection, and we’d still only scratch the surface.

“It’s OK; I understand,” Dahlstrom said. “I’m 15 years in, and I have that same look on my face most days.”

While archivists serve a high enough purpose, the John Deere staff does much more. They are historians, librarians, curators, media producers, muscle, spokespeople and tour guides.

“We collect in real time,” Dahlstrom said, meaning the archive is being constantly updated as new products are introduced. “But you can only have so much shelf space. For instance, we have operator’s manuals in dozens and dozens of languages.

“Our goal is not to have one of everything but to have a representative sample.”

In fact, the old records get new uses pretty much every day. For example, the archive staff spent two years preparing historical material for the upcoming celebration of Deere’s 100th anniversary in the tractor business 2116 E Bremer Ave., Waverly, IA 50677

Congratulations

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Congratulations John Deere, on 100 years of contribution to the Cedar Valley.

GMT looks forward to our continued partnership.

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Please see ARCHIVE, Page 36

Sunday, March 25, 2018 | 35

“You can only have so much shelf space. For instance, we have operator’s manuals in dozens and dozens of languages. Our goal is not to have one of everything but to have a representative sample.”

Neil Dahlstrom, manager of the archives

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36 | Sunday, March 25, 2018

Archive From 35

and a kickoff event at the John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum in Waterloo.

“Our job is to know the collection,” Dahlstrom reminded.

And that includes the origin of the collection. Keep in mind: John Deere, like many companies, has amended its corporate structure over the course of nearly two centuries. Departments and divisions have been added, eliminated or renamed.

To get at the correct records, Dahlstrom and the team have to know what people are asking for — even when the people doing the asking aren’t entirely sure.

“We can get some very general requests, like a tractor advertisement somebody saw in 1954,” he said. “But one of us can usually get to the bottom of the request.

We like to prove things.

“Because of our research and our access to these records, we know things about John Deere tractors that wasn’t known 10 years ago.”

As it occurred to me that the research, records, fact-finding and storytelling sounded familiar, Dahlstrom read my mind, saying, “It’s like what you do, except we’re often looking for information on people who have been dead for 150 years.”

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS are, literally, pieces of art. The colors are beautiful, and the images transport you right into the fields, next to the farmer.

“Our goal — and we’re successful in most cases — is to have two copies,” he said. “That’s because you have to cut the spines to digitize, and it destroys the document.”

The manuals and sales materials are priceless to John Deere

collectors and collectors’ clubs.

“If you’re restoring an old tractor, and you’re not sure what color the rims are supposed to be, it’s all in here,” he said. “We could tell you what day many tractors were built, based on the serial number.”

Also vast is the patent collection, which is comprised primarily of copies of the voluminous Patent Gazettes; printed

Neil Dahlstrom, manager of the archives

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The documents

I admit: In some cases, talk turns to historic documents, and my mind wanders off to what I’m going to eat next.

That wasn’t the case here.

The archives’ main office contains row after row of mobile shelves, stocked with thousands of acid-free containers — each about twice the size of a shoe box.

Dahlstrom randomly pulled a box from a shelf and opened it, carefully pulling out an advertisement from 1919. He did this several times, revealing catalogues and sales brochures. Even if you have zero interest in a John Deere-VanBrunt Grain Drill with Double Run Feeds, you’d have to appreciate the quality of the image. These documents were and

“If you’re restoring an old tractor, and you’re not sure what color the rims are supposed to be, it’s all in here. We could tell you what day many tractors were built, based on the serial number.”

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JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

FAR LEFT: A Hydrogen Fuel Cell Gator that was only used for demonstrations is housed in the John Deere Corporate Archives in East Moline.

from 1790 to 2002.

“All new patent attorneys are trained down here,” Dahlstrom said.

Also occupying considerable shelf space is the archive’s collection of 8,000 to 10,000 (16mm) films, many of which also have been digitized.

The light-and-temperature controlled document library also contains Charles Deere’s papers; the company’s second CEO.

LEFT: Thousands of films are part of the John Deere Corporate Archives located in East Moline, Illinois.

KEVIN E. SCHMIDT PHOTOS, QUAD CITY TIMES‌

Temporary home

On the floor in an aisle between sections of the massive shelving, a couple of pieces clearly were out of place.

Called pediments, the large, carved-wood pieces once sat atop oversized doors in the board room when the Deere headquarters was downtown Moline. Located at 1325 3rd Ave., the building sat roughly where the Radisson at John Deere Commons sits today.

Built in 1891, a fourth floor was added in 1921, which is when the board room was built. The archives contain several items from the old board room, including pillars, sconces, chairs, desks and the doors that were centered below those pediments.

A pair of the doors were leaning on a wall at the end of a row of shelving.

Augustine, the collections manager, pointed out something intriguing: “If you look at this side of the door — the plain side — that’s what the employees saw. Then look at this side of the door — the really beautiful, ornamental side — that’s the side the board members saw.”

Dahlstrom had been listening and added: “This door was on that board room from 1921 to 1964, and it was opened by every important character; from John Deere’s grandson (Charles Deere Wiman) to (CEO William) Hewitt.”

He then reached for the handle but kept his hand upon it only briefly. As he pulled his hand away, a smile came over him as he declared, “That’s the first time I touched that door handle, and it gave me the willies.”

Please see ARCHIVE, Page 38

Sunday, March 25, 2018 | 37

The Rick Bauer Team wants to congratulate John Deere for being one of the leading industries for the past 100 years and its improvement that brings to the Cedar Valley.

Congratulations On

100

Years of Quality We appreciate our partnership over the past 100 years and look forward to the future.

Rick Bauer 493-3500

Bobby Kastli 239-9877

Cole Stricker 269-7267

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3731 Pheasant Lane, Waterloo, IA 50701 www.remax-homegroup-ia.com

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JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

38 | Sunday, March 25, 2018

Archive From 37

Miscellaneous

The archives’ stockpile of vintage toys would make a collector weep.

The pieces share shelves with Deere & Co. awards, ashtrays from dealerships, salesman samples, license plates — you name it.

But there’s a trick to it. With the salesman’s samples, for instance, many did not survive.

Since salesmen couldn’t very well haul tractors around to dealers, they took small models.

And, since they were so often used and handled, many were discarded, because they were in poor condition.

That’s not the case with John Deere caps.

Neither Dahlstrom nor Augustine would even venture a guess as to how many company Please see ARCHIVE, Page 40

KEVIN E. SCHMIDT, QUAD CITY TIMES‌

Manager, Corporate Archives & History for John Deere Neil Dahlstrom points to volumes of the Patent gazette of the United States Patent Office from the 1860’s at the John Deere Corporate Archives.

Gray TransporTaTion, inc. saluTes John Deere on Their

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JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Sunday, March 25, 2018 | 39

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Archive From 38

caps have been made over the years, and there would simply be no way of collecting and storing them all.

“Again, what we aspire to is a representative sample,” Dahlstrom said.

Amazing art

I recognized the wire-backed racks from the Figge Art Museum.

While the Corporate Archives contain many pieces of art, the company correctly keeps most of it on display in locations around the world. One of the most fortunate such locales is the John Deere World Headquarters in Moline.

Deere’s sixth president, William Hewitt, was responsible for the creation of the administrative center and was heaped with well-deserved praise for its celebrated architecture.

It was completed in 1964, and Hewitt took it upon himself, Augustine said, to furnish the so-called “Glass Palace” with a vast and varied art collection.

While most of Deere’s art is on display, a considerable collection resides in a row of racks in the archives.

“He wasn’t just doing tractors and agriculture (art),” Augustine said. “He was making people think ... including abstract impressionism from the 1960s.

“We also have five Grant Wood drawings, and one Wood painting — with a John Deere plow front and center.”

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS World War II, “This was strictly R and D (research and development), because the war meant we couldn’t introduce anything new,” he said.

He explained how many of the large pieces in the warehouse — along with the artwork and some documents — are treated the same as pieces in any museum. They are rotated in displays and made available to

others after loan agreements, appraisals and insurance matters have been settled.

When we came upon a 1913 corn sheller, someone mentioned that corn shelling typically was the kids’ job, which made me wince. If you ever doubted the dangers associated with farming, look no further than a child’s hands upon a 1913 corn sheller.

Nathan Augustine, collections manager

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The warehouses

I couldn’t focus on one thing.

My eyes were being greedy and impatient, simultaneously registering tractors, a race car, a steamer trunk, stamped-copper deer heads, a safe, a dealer sign with broken neon.

We toured one of two equally-sized warehouses that contain a combined 70,000 square feet.

Dahlstrom solved my distraction problem by pointing to a 1942 tractor. Due to limitations placed on the use of steel during

“He wasn’t just doing tractors and agriculture (art). He was making people think ... including abstract impressionism from the 1960s. We also have five Grant Wood drawings, and one Wood painting — with a John Deere plow front and center.”

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JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Dahlstrom also touched on the long-standing dispute surrounding the identify of the first John Deere tractor. Some say it was the (Joseph) Dain while others argue for the Waterloo Boy. “If you line up when they were built, it’s Waterloo Boy by acquisition,” he said. “I’ll be giving a presentation on it at the (March 21-24) Gathering of the Green. We’ll see if anybody throws food at me.”

We then came upon the oldest existing lawn and garden tractor, built in 1963. The archives has the first of the model 110, and its serial number is 110-110.

The 5 millionth garden tractor was built 50 years later; 2013.

On large racks on one wall of the warehouse was a lineup of Gators. The collection includes one of the first ever made and the 500,000th Gator to come off the line. There was even a hydrogen-powered Gator, which is not on the market.

“We hold on to a lot of experimental machines,” Dahlstrom said. “You don’t know for 40 or 50 years how important they’re going to be.”

Many pieces of equipment in the archives never were used and were snatched up right off the assembly line. But some pieces, affectionately called “Shop Mules,” were used in factories for 30 or 40 years, he said.

As we stood beside the John Deere race car that competed in the Winston Cup, I noticed a seemingly odd juxtaposition: The Gators were stored next to the ancient John Deere buggies.

“It’s the same machine, 100 years apart,” Dahlstrom said.

“Utility vehicles have always been for getting around the farm — feeding livestock and checking the crops,” Augustine added.

FAR LEFT: Volumes of the Patent gazette of the United States Patent Office from the 1860’s at the John Deere Corporate Archives.

LEFT: The ornate latch on one of the doors to the boardroom from the former John Deere building now residing in the John Deere Corporate Archives.

KEVIN E. SCHMIDT PHOTOS, QUAD CITY TIMES‌

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Please see ARCHIVE, Page 42

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On the way out

One thing that strikes you in touring the Corporate Archives is the number of acquisitions accomplished by Deere & Co. over so many years. Part of the company’s genius has been its ability to spot opportunity and potential anywhere in the

Sunday, March 25, 2018 | 41

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| Sunday, March 25, 2018

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Archive From 41

world.

We also were taken by the variety and volume of products and, of course, the parts that had to be produced to keep them in the fields or on the road or in the toy box.

On our way out of the warehouse, we came upon a display of two particularly old pieces.

One was a John Deere bicycle, made in 1894. It had bent hickory rims and an uncomfortable-looking seat that was stuffed with horse hair. Its head badge, which is so important to bike collectors, is ornamental and pristine.

Next to the bike, and not nearly as pristine, is a plow that is estimated to have been built around 1853. It was a gift from John Deere to Elisha BenKEVIN E. SCHMIDT, QUAD CITY TIMES edict whom he met in his home state of Vermont.

John deere collections Manager nathan augustine talks about the variety of items house in the companies Benedict is believed to have archives.

once loaned money to Deere.

When both wound up in Illinois, Deere repaid the loan and built the plow, which bears a message to Benedict.

Charles Deere, John’s son and the company’s second CEO, bought the plow from the Benedict family in 1901, and it became part of a farm show display, Dahlstrom said.

As everyone knows, the polished-steel plow was John Deere’s claim to advanced-technology fame. It delivered pioneering farmers from the struggle of clearing cast-iron blades of the heavy prairie soil that clung to them.

He made life easier.

It may have taken 140 years to start a company collection in earnest, but the archives are quickly catching up to the past.

As today’s historians sort out the best way to keep records that remain useful in modern times, they too are making life easier for the next generation of John Deere.

Bravo!

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JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Sunday, March 25, 2018 | 43

KEVIN E. SCHMIDT PHOTOS, QUAD CITY TIMES‌

The first Model 110 Lawn & Garden Tractor (1963), lower left and the NASCAR Pontiac Grand Prix, John Deere sponsored #23 driven by Chad Little stored at the John Deere Corporate Archives located in East Moline.

ABOVE: Oriental tapestries are part of the thousands of pieces of art work included in the John Deere Corporate Archives.

LEFT: The John Deere Corporate Archives contain 180,000 items listed in their catalog.

44 | Sunday, March 25, 2018

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

KEVIN E. SCHMIDT PHOTOS, QUAD CITY TIMES‌

Manager, Corporate Archives & History for John Deere Neil Dahlstrom talks about a safe used in a John Deere dealership that now sits in one of two warehouses used for storing historical items relevant to the company.

RIGHT: Not all versions of John Deere toys are kept in the corporate archives.

FAR RIGHT: Items once thought to be toys are thought to be historical design samples in the John Deere Corporate Archives.

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Sunday, March 25, 2018 | 45

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46 | Sunday, March 25, 2018

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

KEVIN E. SCHMIDT PHOTOS, QUAD CITY TIMES‌

Various pieces of equipment deemed historically important to the company are housed in the John Deere Corporate Archives warehouses in East Moline.

RIGHT: Original advertising for a John Deere No. 40 Tractor Plow dated 1920 in the John Deere Corporate Archives.

FAR RIGHT: A 1942 John Deere Model “101” in the John Deere corporate archives.

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

Sunday, March 25, 2018 | 47

The City of Waterloo Congratulates John Deere!

100 Years of

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48 | Sunday, March 25, 2018

JOHN DEERE 100 YEARS

On March 14, 1918, with the stroke of a pen, John Deere entered

the farm tractor business by purchasing the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company. The acquisition not only marked Deere’s permanent entry into the manufacturing of stationary engines and tractors, but it would also play a key role in reshaping the company.

To honor this milestone we invite you to our public Waterloo

Celebration on June 15 and 16, 2018 at the Waterloo Convention Center, Public Market Courtyard, and John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum.

This event is free to the public; food and beverages are available for purchase and there will be trolleys for easy transportation.

For more event information: www.VisitJohnDeere.com