Clayton county Album
Froelich history & photos

Froelich Village Only Now Laying Claim To Being Locale of First Gas Farm Tractor
Invertor's Friend Relates Facts of Early Maching
~Telegraph Herald, Dubuque, Iowa, June 12, 1938, pg 8 (article & photo)

McGregor, Ia - Special: Where was the first gas farm tractor made?

In a blacksmith shop at the Village of Froelich in Clayton County.

Who made it?

John Froelich

When?

In 1892

These are FACTS, they say at Froelich, though little known facts. Seeking belated recognition during the recent National Air Mail Week, more than a hundred letters went through the air from the tiny postoffice to all parts of the country. They were stamped, "Froelich, Iowa Honors John Froelich, 1840-1933. Inventor of the World's First Gas Tractor"

No Disputes Yet
Though a month has passed, no person or tractor company has raised a voice contesting the claim. On the contrary, new and indisputable evidence of the correctness of the claim has been acquired. This, for instance, from the John Deere Company, one of the world's largest manufacturere of farm tractors:

"In 1892, a single-cylinder, gasoline-burning engine was put into a service near Langford, S.D. Built by John Froelich of Froelich, Ia., this outfit was truly a tractor. Crude as we may think of it, it was a revolutionary invention at the time. It not only supplied power for belt work, but it could actually move itself and pull other machinery at the same time."

The story of this first gas tractor is told by A.M. Burlingame, present proprietor of the store at Froelich, founded by Henry Froelich, father of the inventor, John Froelich.

"In the 80's," Burlingame said, "John Froelich operated a grain elevator and feed mill at Froelich. Wheat growing in the Dakotas was enjoying it's initial boom in those days, and threshing machines were in demand. He bought a straw-burning steam outfit, and each Summer he used to go out to Langford, S.D., for the thresing season, and thresh grain for many farmers."

Water Unsatisfactory
"He found it a big problem in using steam power in those new areas to get water. They had to haul it, and the water they did get was bad and scaled the boilerers. A gas-powered outfit, if one could be made that could move itself and pull a load as steam threshers did, would be much better, Froelich decided.

"An advertisement about this time of a stationary gas engine manufactured in Cincinnati attracted him and after some correspondence, he went to Cincinnati and bought one. It was a single cylinder and had 14 horsepower. He shipped the engine to Froelich and mounted it on wooden beams in a small blacksmith shop. Then he set to work with a young mechanic, Will Mann, to help him. Mann, now 77 years old, is still living in Langford where he used to work on the threshing outfits with Mr. Froelich. Using team engine shaftings, gears, and pulleys and designing many other parts himself, Mr. Froelich finally assembled a tractor that would move forward under its own power.

"This was not enough, however. It had to move backward as well as forward, to be of practical use. After considerable time and many adjustments, this was accomplished and a gas tractor that would go forward at a speed of about two miles an hour, and reverse, was made.

It Worked
"At slow-walking speed, the crude, gear-driven, one-cylinder model, chugged its way from the blacksmith shop to a nearby farm, where a steam threshing outfit was at work. The gas tractor was put in the place of the steam tractor, and to the amazement of spectators, it worked.

"The outfit was shipped to Langford in August, 1892, where, to quote from a letter received from the John Deere Company, 'Mr. Froelich operated it successfully for 72 days, averaging 1,000 bushels per day.' The tractor went from farm to farm under its own power, pulling the load." (see "Threshing Party" note at bottom)

"After the threshing season was over, the outfit was brought back to Froelich, and Mr. Froelich formed a company to manufacture 'gasoline tractors' at Waterloo. The improved tractor, manufactured by the Waterloo Gasoline Traction Engine Company, was known as the 'Waterloo Boy'. In 1918, after Mr. Froelich was no longer associated with the company, the John Deere Company bought out the Waterloo concern."

Realized Little
Such was the genesis of the farm gas tractor, millions of which are now speeding up and lightening work on farms the world over, as related by Burlingame, whose father was a friend of John Froelich. The two families were neighbors in early years, in fact, they and Froelich are about synonomous because all there is to Froelich, is the store. In the past it was run by Henry Froelich and in recent years by Burlingame. Besides carrying general merchandise it serves as railroad depot, postoffice, express and freight office, bus office, and poultry and egg receiving and shipping station.

Inventor Froelich, like many another inventor, realized little financially out of his pioneer work, Burlingame said, and received scant recognition during his life-time. "We are trying to make up for it now," he added, "and hope eventually to have a suitable marker placed on the site of the old blacksmith shop."

~transcribed by S. Ferrall for Clayton co. IAGenWeb, August 2023

~~

Notes:
- John Froelich (biography) born 11/24/1849. Died in St. Paul, MN in 05/23/1933. Inducted into the Iowa Inventors Hall of Fame in 1991.
Obituary

- Threshing Party: the North Iowa Times, Wednesday, April 23, 1975, published a photo of the crew of local threshers who took the tractor to South Dakota. In the digitalized image of the paper, the photo is too grainy and of poor quality, to be included here.The photo caption:

Shown is the 1892 crew of local threshers who took the very first gasoline powered tractor, built in Froelich, to South Dakota to demonstrate what it could do in operating a threshing machine. The picture was taken at Milbank, S. Dak. The two portable structures shown in the bacground were used as a dining room and a bunkhouse. From left to right are: Mary Bickel, Nettie Froelich, John Froelich, Mrs. John Froelich, H.J. Klotzbach, J.H. Benzing, S.P. Johnson, W.F. Shellhammer, William Conners, Fred Smith, Will Klotzbach, George Klotzbach, Charles Howell, Carl Smith, Henry Nieman, Jim Conners, Christ Ihde and Clarence Froelich. (Photo courtesy of Robert Klotzbach)

- A.M. Burlingame is Alonzo M. Burlingame - his 1940 biography states that "in 1939 a monument was erected at Froelich as memorial to John Froelich inventor of the first gasoline tractor" (see also: 1916 biography)

- Froelich Tractor Museum website