Historic Hood River
“The New John Deere”
5-7-2024
Notes
I believe this is Alta Walter May’s husband Wallace with her brother Andy Walter showing off a new John Deere tractor at the farm in Klondike (Sherman County) Oregon in March of 1942. This was probably one of the last tractors to make it out of the factory before many of the lines switched to wartime production. While John Deere continued to make some farm tractors during the war, they switched much of their production to military tractors, armored trailers, tank parts and ammunition. And no, their tanks were not green and yellow. You can read more about their wartime efforts here.
Sherman County’s wheat farms probably qualified for priority fuel rations, so this tractor likely kept moving throughout the war.
L.E.
Anyone recognize the rock peak in the background?
You have given some good history Arthur, about the effects of WWII on agriculture. Interesting.
Will
I assumed the rock peak is Hood.
nails
My father was called up for the draft with two small children but was sent home to run the tire recapping business to keep the farmers moving.
Pat A
That rock mound is not Mt Hood.
This may be near the original homestead north of Klondike,
The Railroad runs along the power poles in Klondike and Maries home around the corner to the southeast.
Track type tractor was the equipment of choice in this era.
A Caterpillar D6 9U was doing all the heavy plowing on this wheat farm.
John Deere serial numbers show tractor production continued through the war.
Pat A
The D6 was. 1950 model and is still there.
L.E.
My grandpa had been a prisoner of war in WWI. When WWII came along, my dad enlisted. Grandpa went to the powers that be and said he needed my dad at home to work the farm. It worked and they sent my dad home.
At the time, my dad said he was angry with grandpa, but as he got older he understood his dad’s concerns.