John Deere Buys Waterloo Boy: Iowa Time Machine March 14, 1918

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On March 14, 1918, John Deere got serious about the tractor business by purchasing the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company. The Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company was the first company to manufacture and sell gasoline-powered farm tractors at scale. It was founded by John Froelich, the Iowa inventor of the first practical gasoline tractor.

Froelich, born in a northeastern Iowa village named for his father, started experimenting with machinery after attending the College of Iowa. With the help of blacksmith Will Mann, Froelich built a 16-hp gasoline tractor with forward and reverse gears in 1892. When attached to a J.I. Case threshing machine, the first tractor threshed 72,000 bushels of wheat over 52 days.

In 1893, Froelich partnered with several Waterloo area investors to found the Waterloo Gasoline Traction Engine Company. Only two of the four engines produced by the company were purchased, and both sales were returned to the company by unsatisfied customers. John W. Miller bought the company in 1895 and focused solely on building gasoline engines.

In 1911, the company started designing and selling tractors by introducing the kerosene-fueled Model R Waterloo Boy. The popular tractor sold over 8,000 units before discontinuing in 1923. In 1918, Deere & Company, an equipment company, purchased the Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company for $2.1 million to enter the tractor market. After the sale, the company changed its name to become the John Deere Tractor Company. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar