Rock River Thresheree - 21st Annual Reunion (1977)




In 1977, we purchased our gristmill and corn shed from Harlow Ballard of Rockford, IL. Ted Walton was the mill's first operator. Syl Henry supervised an addition to the Stationary Engine building. We also erected a 30'x70' pole building on the grounds and an 8'x12' sign facing Hwy. 51. Bernice Silverthorn was our Reunion Queen.

Our souvenir album contained photographs from our 20th Annual Reunion in 1976.

1977 Souvenir Album Index:

Front Cover - woodgrain background with Rock River Thresheree logo
Inside front cover - [poem] "A Farmer's Creed"
Page 1 - Map of Threshermen's Park
Page 2 - Welcome letter from President Duane Richards - [photo] Duane Richards
Page 3 - The Exhibitors [photos] Don Wittenburg's 1912 single-cylinder Rumely OilPull - Ward Taylor and his model Case steam traction engine - Frank Riese's 50hp single-cylinder Fairbanks oil engine - plowing with an 8-bottom plow - feed chopper driven by stationary engine - Bob Higgins & John Stacey on Rumely Do-All tractor & McCormick Reaper
Page 4 - [photos] - Harold Russell and his antique tool collection - draft horses and wagon - Lyle Silverthorn's 1932 Model C Case tractor - Mel Cassels Port Huron steam traction engine pulling a separator - Pete Burno's 12hp Frick portable engine - Gerald Jacobson grinding buckwheat
Page 5 - [photos] William Anderson's 18hp Advance-Rumely steam traction engine - Don Wittenburg's 20-30 Rumely OilPull pulling Duane Richards' 3-bottom plow - Bruce Stennerson's Minneapolis steam traction engine - Dave Lewis operating a sawmill - pile driver - Ted Walton at Tracy's cornmeal booth
Page 6 - [photos] Ward Taylor's model Port Huron steam traction engine on Edward "Red" Nelson's Baker Test Fan - Marv Helgesen's 15-30 Sandusky gas tractor - Lyle Silverthorn's 1916 6-12 Allis Chalmers gas tractor - Bruce Stennerson's 20-35 Rumely OilPull - Melvin Cassels "Sunday Buggy" - Vern Burno's Case steam roller
Page 7 - [photos] Orville Smith & Elmer Phillips' 1939 Farmall F-20 tractor - Bob Higgins and his 1929 Rumely DoAll - Fred Durtschi operating the shingle mill - Rumely 6 tractor - Marv Helgesen's 30-60 Aultman-Taylor gas tractor (operated by Barbara Helgesen) - Show Director Don Lux announcing
Page 8 - Spirit of the Thresheree - [photos] steam engine & separator - 3 threshing scenes
Page 9 - [photos] - Ted Mudek's 65hp Case steam traction engine - Carol Knoll spinning wool - Bob Higgins & John Storey's 1890 Helecopter Reaper - Ted Mudek's Wallis tractor - Civil War re-enactors - Walt Durst in his antique automobile
Page 10 - Car Jacobs' Monarch Crawler (previously owned by Rock County Hwy. Dept.) - Louie Heller on his Avery gas tractor - Frank Riese estate's 20-40 Case gas tractor - George Erbe's model Farmall gas tractor - Queens Kate Russell (1976), Hilda Loveland (1975), Eleanor Thomson (1974), Genevieve Lux (1973) and Eleanor Helgesen (1973) - Ronald Niday's 4-wheel drive Samson gas tractor
Page 11 - [photos] Walter Durst's 1912 single-cylinder Fairbanks-Morse gas tractor - Mr. & Mrs. George Vint painting the pile driver - Orville Smith & Bob Higgins with the windmill - Elmer & Helen Taylor's 65hp Case steam traction engine & separator - Richard Garrity's scale steam roller - Marv Helgesen's 1916 8-16 International kerosene tractor
Page 12 - [photos] steam-operated hoist on sawmill - Rock River Cannonball - simulated oil well driven by a British diesel engine - Marv Helgesen's GMC tractor - Runstad's sawmill - Walt Durst on his scale Case steam engine
Page 13 - [photos] steam-powered air compressor - Orville Smith on his 1932 Farmall F-20 tractor - Marv Helgesen's Whitcomb road roller (previously owned by the City of Edgerton) - Syl Henry and his gas engines - Don Lux's Farmall F-20 tractor - Orville Smith & Elmer Phillip's 1973 Farmall F-12 tractor
Page 14 - [photos] Frank Riese estate's 28-50 Hart Parr gas tractor - Frank Loveland on the shingle mill - Larry Silverthorn and his Case gas tractor - 3 Samson tractors (Ron Niday's Experimental Samson 4-wheel drive; Lyle Silverthorn's Model M; Marv Helgesen's GMC) - small engines - Don Wittenburg's 65hp Case steam traction engine
Page 15 - [article] "Background of the Thresheree" - [photo] aerial view of Threshermen's Park
Page 16 - Board of Directors - [photos] Harold Russell, Treasurer - Eleanor F. Helgesen, Board - Walter Durst, Board - Ted Mudek, Board - Melvin Cassels, Board - Duane Richards, President - Lyle Silverthorn, Vice President - John Zimmerman, Board - Everett Schroeder, Board - Jeff Heller, Board - Fred Thomson, Board
Inside Back Cover - Membership list
Back Cover - [photo] steam traction engine

	In 1977, we purchased our gristmill and corn shed from Harlow Ballard of Rockford, IL. Ted Walton was the mill's first operator. Syl Henry supervised an addition to the Stationary Engine building. We also erected a 30'x70' pole building on the grounds and an 8'x12' sign facing Hwy. 51. Bernice Silverthorn was our Reunion Queen. Our souvenir album contained photographs from our 20th Annual Reunion in 1976.

1977 Souvenir Album Index: Front Cover - woodgrain background with Rock River Thresheree logo Inside front cover - [poem] "A Farmer's Creed" Page 1 - Map of Threshermen's Park Page 2 - Welcome letter from President Duane Richards - [photo] Duane Richards Page 3 - The Exhibitors [photos] Don Wittenburg's 1912 single-cylinder Rumely OilPull - Ward Taylor and his model Case steam traction engine - Frank Riese's 50hp single-cylinder Fairbanks oil engine - plowing with an 8-bottom plow - feed chopper driven by stationary engine - Bob Higgins & John Stacey on Rumely Do-All tractor & McCormick Reaper Page 4 - [photos] - Harold Russell and his antique tool collection - draft horses and wagon - Lyle Silverthorn's 1932 Model C Case tractor - Mel Cassels Port Huron steam traction engine pulling a separator - Pete Burno's 12hp Frick portable engine - Gerald Jacobson grinding buckwheat Page 5 - [photos] William Anderson's 18hp Advance-Rumely steam traction engine - Don Wittenburg's 20-30 Rumely OilPull pulling Duane Richards' 3-bottom plow - Bruce Stennerson's Minneapolis steam traction engine - Dave Lewis operating a sawmill - pile driver - Ted Walton at Tracy's cornmeal booth Page 6 - [photos] Ward Taylor's model Port Huron steam traction engine on Edward "Red" Nelson's Baker Test Fan - Marv Helgesen's 15-30 Sandusky gas tractor - Lyle Silverthorn's 1916 6-12 Allis Chalmers gas tractor - Bruce Stennerson's 20-35 Rumely OilPull - Melvin Cassels "Sunday Buggy" - Vern Burno's Case steam roller Page 7 - [photos] Orville Smith & Elmer Phillips' 1939 Farmall F-20 tractor - Bob Higgins and his 1929 Rumely DoAll - Fred Durtschi operating the shingle mill - Rumely 6 tractor - Marv Helgesen's 30-60 Aultman-Taylor gas tractor (operated by Barbara Helgesen) - Show Director Don Lux announcing Page 8 - Spirit of the Thresheree - [photos] steam engine & separator - 3 threshing scenes Page 9 - [photos] - Ted Mudek's 65hp Case steam traction engine - Carol Knoll spinning wool - Bob Higgins & John Storey's 1890 Helecopter Reaper - Ted Mudek's Wallis tractor - Civil War re-enactors - Walt Durst in his antique automobile Page 10 - Car Jacobs' Monarch Crawler (previously owned by Rock County Hwy. Dept.) - Louie Heller on his Avery gas tractor - Frank Riese estate's 20-40 Case gas tractor - George Erbe's model Farmall gas tractor - Queens Kate Russell (1976), Hilda Loveland (1975), Eleanor Thomson (1974), Genevieve Lux (1973) and Eleanor Helgesen (1973) - Ronald Niday's 4-wheel drive Samson gas tractor Page 11 - [photos] Walter Durst's 1912 single-cylinder Fairbanks-Morse gas tractor - Mr. & Mrs. George Vint painting the pile driver - Orville Smith & Bob Higgins with the windmill - Elmer & Helen Taylor's 65hp Case steam traction engine & separator - Richard Garrity's scale steam roller - Marv Helgesen's 1916 8-16 International kerosene tractor Page 12 - [photos] steam-operated hoist on sawmill - Rock River Cannonball - simulated oil well driven by a British diesel engine - Marv Helgesen's GMC tractor - Runstad's sawmill - Walt Durst on his scale Case steam engine Page 13 - [photos] steam-powered air compressor - Orville Smith on his 1932 Farmall F-20 tractor - Marv Helgesen's Whitcomb road roller (previously owned by the City of Edgerton) - Syl Henry and his gas engines - Don Lux's Farmall F-20 tractor - Orville Smith & Elmer Phillip's 1973 Farmall F-12 tractor Page 14 - [photos] Frank Riese estate's 28-50 Hart Parr gas tractor - Frank Loveland on the shingle mill - Larry Silverthorn and his Case gas tractor - 3 Samson tractors (Ron Niday's Experimental Samson 4-wheel drive; Lyle Silverthorn's Model M; Marv Helgesen's GMC) - small engines - Don Wittenburg's 65hp Case steam traction engine Page 15 - [article] "Background of the Thresheree" - [photo] aerial view of Threshermen's Park Page 16 - Board of Directors - [photos] Harold Russell, Treasurer - Eleanor F. Helgesen, Board - Walter Durst, Board - Ted Mudek, Board - Melvin Cassels, Board - Duane Richards, President - Lyle Silverthorn, Vice President - John Zimmerman, Board - Everett Schroeder, Board - Jeff Heller, Board - Fred Thomson, Board Inside Back Cover - Membership list Back Cover - [photo] steam traction engine