Tractors our families have owned

Robert Wirth with his tractor about 1956

Grandpa Bob learned farming at his parents sides. His father had mobility issues which limited him as he aged. Grandma Wirth worked side by side with the two remaining sons after the death of his two sisters from childhood diseases leaving the two boys, in the fields within the small valley in the foothills of the Cascade range where they homesteaded in the 1890's between Scio and Lyons Oregon, near an area called Jordon locally known as Jordon Valley. Grandma Wirth had a timber claim up the in the foothills from the farm she homesteaded with her husband. Bob tried to attend high school alas he was a little wild causing him to be asked to leave school before he finished ninth grade. While life changed with the beginning of the depression when there was not much work to be found in the local area. Grandpa Wirth went into the along southern states and up and down the West coast as he worked the fields. At some point he came home, timber harvests needed loggers once more. He learned how to be a logger from the bottom up. Late 1930's found Bob with his wife and two children operating logging operations with his brother-in-law and his family living on the Grandmother's timber claim. Moves to Bellfountain and Crabtree Oregon once the every growing number of children were older schools were available in those areas. By mid 1940's-50's Bob and Rova (Jackson) Wirth purchase farm land between Shedd and Tangent Oregon where there still are family decedents working the land over 60 years later. A family member recently purchased the homestead farm back into the family.

We received a photo shopped picture of our logo on to the panel wagon side from a friend as a gift.

Tractor training start early in the families. Here is one of our father's on his parents tractors.

Before the tractors there was the horse

The plains of Nebraska is where Robin's Dad and uncle learned to drive horse driven equipment from their father and grandfather. Here the "boys" spend time with their grandpa George Loseke 1941. As late as 1968 we could find horse drawn equipment to play on at the home of Grandma and Grandpa Grossnicklaus. After Grandpa's death the land was rented to the Smith's family farms and our family relocated items as they cleaned up the old farm, aged buildings taken down to give a modern clean look. Grandma was very proud of how nice the place looked once it was cleaned. Now the remaining family who can remember what was there at times wishes the clean up would not have been so drastic.

Nebraska late 1940

George Loseke on his Nebraska farm in the late 1940.

Mid 1940's

Jim and Dick Grossnicklaus on the Poppin John tractor as we called it. Oh would ones ears hurt after riding on it. Way before the modern ear protection movement. I was about three the day my very pregant mother came to see who had started the tractor, it was me, she had a devil of a time getting me to take it out of gear and getting me off. I have such fun driving the tractor. I knew how to start it, put it in gear, steer, drive it back into place in the shed, and turn it off. Needless to say I was in trouble, yet it became a family story of laughter for adults as well as a gentle reminder to always remove the keys from the tractors on so the kids did not get hurt.

Shedd Oregon late 1940's

Jim Grossnicklaus on the family farm working with in the field in the late 1940's. Jim served in the military then went on to Oregon state to learn his teaching degree in industrial education. Jim later went on to become Oregon Teacher of the Year, his students won many titles under his leadership in auto and shop technologies in the Phlomath, Oregon school system. Jim later retired from many years of services for the Greater Albany Oregon School System as operations manger. Jim was a respected member of the community he served.

Two young guys and their tractor

Back in a time when it was common to let kids play on parked equipment.

Jim and Dick were my dad and uncle's nicknames. Here the boys show off on their family tractor. Grandpa Armand worked the farm while Grandma Grossnicklaus (Violet) worked as a teacher in Shedd, Oregon after moving from Nebraska in the 1940's for many years before she transferred to the Corvallis (Oregon) School system where she retired.

Grandpa Grossnicklaus learned and put into place just a few years prior to the depression starting with the most modernize practices with other advancements on his Nebraska farm. He was able to hold out longer than many of his fellow farmers during the dust bowl alas in the end he could not earn enough to keep the farm from the bank even with the improvements. One of the reasons Grandma fell in love with Grandpa was how progressive he was at the time. Grandma went back to visit 1973 when she came back she came back with the story of what happened to their former farm in Nebraska. A family purchased it, a few years later after the the grandparents left the farm, where they were one of the first to recover and grow new higher earning crops in the area, keep afloat during other trying times due to the irrigation system and other improvements Grandpa had installed Grandma wished she could have shared with Grandpa how his forward thinking did work out good for someone. Grandpa had passed on just 5 yrs prior so he never really knew how good things had turned out from all his planning and doing.

Grandma with her sons & her brother after an afternoon of flying.

Grandma was a teacher in Nebraska when Grandpa was dating her. She would tell of Grandpa flying over the small school house, then landing out out on the plans of Nebraska in the bi-plane he had built, to pick her up at the end of the school day, waiting until she had finished her duties which included bring coal in for the next day's heat in the classroom as well as sweeping the floor and cleaning the slate chalk board, and then grandpa would flying her home. She enjoyed flying and grandpa eventually taught her how and she flew up until she started their family. I can remember Grandma and Grandpa coming over to visit and taking us to sit by the airport watching planes take off and land. Telling us tidbits about the aircraft and stories of them flying, family, Nebraska, and depression.

The way it was.

Jim and Richard Grossnicklaus riding behind their dad as he drove the tractor. Fun was simple and a bit what people today would call dangerous in nature. Below left is the family just prior to them leaving Nebraska to head to Oregon in Dec 1939. On the right is a corn sheller hooked up to the tractor. Labor saving device in it's time. Below the corn sheller is a pictures of hops. The first few years they lived in Oregon Armand and Violet raised strawberries and worked hop fields. Lower left is a general picture from the Grossnicklaus farm at the start of the day, each day the equipment had to be inspected prior to use, gas was stored in 50 gallon barrels and hand pumped out each time it was needed.

With the raise in local beer brewing companies in the Northwest we are seeing more and more hop plots around the valley. Oregon State long term commentment to hop production, taste, and brewing is paying off as there are now many choices of hops with wide taste and aroma components. Therefore the next time you enjoy a handcrafted small brewry beer think of all the hard work it took to provide just the hops to your brew.

What you look like on your last day on your parents farms just prior to you leaving the home you have always known and head out to Oregon to start a new life

Reviewing the equipment and getting fueled, greased, oil all moving parts so it works smoother.

Robin's family grew hops back in the 40's to the late 60's many people grew hops in the Willamette Valley. Harvesting hops was something many, many people did in the valley.

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