1907 - Mustaches, Boulder Hats, LOOK OUT for THE CARS !

Straw Boss · Mar 6, 2016

Looks like the coal bunkers for the steamer are laying on the dock.
How many cars could there be running around in 1907 to have a warning on the sign post?
Sorry for the light fixture reflection. Wished I had the Old Abe sign.

s,mac · Mar 6, 2016

That is a good look to the past. Do you know were it was taken? Steve

Straw Boss · Mar 7, 2016

This is the Case branch house in Aberdeen S.Dak.

I'm saying 1907 because the same picture is in an Aberdeen souvenir book with a copyright date of 1907 but the picture could have been taken the year before.

The thresher is made of steel. Case introduced the steel thresher in '04 so it can't be older than that BUT, as a side note, Case was still offering the wooden threshers yet in the '07 catalog right along with the new steel machines.

Don Rudolph · Mar 7, 2016

Very nice old picture! Do you think the sign referred to railroad cars, as the steamer and thresher are on a flatcar on a siding next to the Branch House? Don

Straw Boss · Mar 7, 2016

The street to the right of the building is Main Street, and the tracks only go as far as the dock and don't cross the street. The tracks would run parallel to the side street so the more I think about it, the more I think they are referring to automobile traffic coming off the side street since the building kind of makes it a blind corner. I will assume this was before the days of uniform road rules, signage or lighting we see today. Today, there would likely be a Stop sign on the side street.

I also got to thinking that in this time frame, there was also a company branch house in Watertown and Mitchell. I wonder when these facilities were turned over to private owned dealerships? And would there have been a branch house AND a dealer in the same town back then? Or did the branch house also sell directly to the farmers until a dealership was established?

Moline_guy · Mar 7, 2016

Great picture, where at in Aberdeen was this building located? My Grandpa was a "case man" he died in 1961, his last tractor was an 800, I think his first was steel wheeled L.

Straw Boss · Mar 7, 2016

Near the Depot on Main Street.
I got a closeup on the picture.
Looks like those are not bunkers on the dock but are a set of steam engine wheels.

brutus49DC · Mar 7, 2016

Any chance the building still stands? The Hurkes family were Case dealers in Watertown in the crossmotor era if not before. I wonder if agents sold equipment in the absence of an established dealer. I always understood branch houses served the dealerships.

Straw Boss · Mar 7, 2016

I don't think so. I may be in town tomorrow so I'll wander down that way and check it out just to be sure.
I was in to Hurkes a few weeks back and had a nice visit. At the time I didn't think to ask what year they started.

casecollectorsc · Mar 7, 2016

The original Hurkes building is still downtown Watertown. My understanding was it was a Branch House be fore Hurkes took over. It had a big elevator to move machinery from floor to floor. Always was fun to go with Dad for parts and get to see mowers, rakes and tractors on the main floor.There are a couple other buildings in Watertown, SD that were implement dealers that had elevators to move equipment from floor to floor. There is a old IH dealership in Vermillion SD that has a big elevator capable of moving tractors and equip. from basement to upper floors. I helped a friend work on the elevator in that one. Was a exercise place at that time. The old Hurkes building in Watertown is Dempseys Pub today. Sorry for the ramble....

Straw Boss · Mar 8, 2016

Don't be sorry. I for one love to hear these stories and find the history of these places to be very interesting. I'd sure like to see the original building in downtown Watertown but have no idea where it's at without an actual street address to guide me. I should look through some old brochures from the late 1800s, early 1900s and see if there's a picture of the branch houses in them.

casecollectorsc · Mar 8, 2016

The building is on N. Broadway, north of the guest house motel in Watertown. Jim Lacey was in Sioux Falls one day and happen to go past the old Case branch house as it was undergoing a remodel. Over the large doorway was a 3' by 15' stone slab that had JI Case Co. carved into the stone. He talked to the contractor and tried to buy it but it would have been too intrusive to take it down and replace. It is still there but is covered up again for someone else to find. The address for the old Hurkes building is 127 N Broadway in Watertown.

brutus49DC · Mar 8, 2016

If you go through Sleepy Eye, Mn on US14 look at the old canning plant to the north. It's several stories high and word was that the Auctioneer Bob Pelzel had it full of old tractors being moved to each story by a large freight elevator.

Straw Boss · Mar 8, 2016

Thanks Steve. I will definitely check it out next time I get that way.
Pretty cool about the S.Falls building.

Ande · Mar 8, 2016

This is the Fargo N.D. branch, I went there several times with my Dad, one time he was getting parts, and I walk back to the metal sheds in the back, and they were full of 30 series tractors! And yes I saw a bunch of Eagles. Then Dad called form me to get back in here d_mm quick!

I found these pictures on some Fargo site so they aren't being presented for the Case building. Today and I'm thankful the mighty branch is still there on NP avenue, and was turned into apartments. Amazing but the largest elevator in the world supposedly was in the building,(I saw this huge lift) as they would drive the steamers onto it, and it would lower the steamer into the basement, and they would be repaired there over the winter, this was told to me by a old timer that past away many years ago, he was just a young man when he worked for Case Company. Dan

Straw Boss · Mar 8, 2016

That really is neat about the steamer elevator to the basement.
I wonder what they used the second and third floor for?
Parts and offices? I have a 430 that was originally delivered to the Fargo branch.
Do you suppose you had a look at it when you were in there all those years ago ???
I wonder how many tractors passed through those doors over all those decades ??? A lot of history there.

Ande · Mar 8, 2016

Brad, it really was, I walked on it, I was 12 years old the one time I was there and if I remember they showed me how it moved, but would have loved to gone to the basement and saw what was left down there.

Regarding the building, if my memory proves me right, first flow was parts and offices, I remember it was painted a off color green actually what other branches were as I have pictures of advertising that showed the color. I think the other floors above were parts storage I think.

I do know the branch manager's office was on the same floor as the ordering point for parts, a huge counter, when I was very young I walked into the branch managers office as Dad was loading up some parts we drove down one evening for, and I looked up at the wall and there was a picture of Mr. J.I.Case, and I blurted out hey that's J.I. Case! Not knowing there was anyone in there, and from his desk, Mr. Chet Stromsvold looked at me over his glasses and said "no son, that is Mr. J. I. Case! I got out of Mr. Stromsvold's office and ran back to where Dad was loading the car. Dad said where have you been now, I said just walking around!

Yea, Brad, I might have walked right up to it! This branch sold lots of tractors to the dealers. I have other stories of Mr. Chet Stromsvold, he was a mighty Branch manager

Straw Boss · Mar 8, 2016

You forgot the "Mr." Thats funny! Many people referred to him as " Ol' J.I. "
But under that roof it would be a little too casual wouldn't it ?
We'd love to hear more stories Dan. What do you remember about the Eagles?
Can't imagine walking into a whole room of them. (I can dream can't I?)

Ande · Mar 8, 2016

Brad, one story I remember, but don't remember the man that said he started out working for Case in I think the old branch house in Omaha, and the block loading dock he would line up Case eagles then use a tractor that was set up to pull airplanes around that had a huge hitch on it, and yes he would drive into each eagle and bust it up then clean up and set up more, he said he broke up 100's of them. It was the end of the Eagle era...... This was a sad story to me......

Straw Boss · Mar 9, 2016

Not a very befitting end for such a grand bird. I can't imagine.

8E45E · Mar 16, 2016

How many cars could there be running around in 1907 to have a warning on the sign post? http://photos.yesterdaystractors.com/gallery/uptest/a218689.jpg[/img]

Back then, Case did sell Cars: http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?55245-Orphan-of-the-Day-10-08-1911-Case-Touring

Craig

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