Steigers at Rollag

Steigers at Rollag
One again I made my yearly pilgrimage to the Western Minnesota Steam Thresher's Reunion in Rollag last Friday morning. Actually we spent the night in Menahga with my son’s family on Thursday then got up, had breakfast, and we're off to Rollag. My son, and tractor loving grandson, and granddaughter made the trip with me. We tried to go fairly early in the morning since the forecast was for the possibility of a pretty warm day. This year’s feature was Steiger tractors so that gave a Red Lake County man a little added interest!  
Steiger Manufacturing was incorporated in the 1960’s.  John Steiger, along with his two sons, Maurice and Douglass designed, engineered and manufactured one of the first 4-wheel drive agricultural tractors at their farm near Red Lake Falls, MN. The Steigers first built a tractor in their workshop for their own use out of truck components, before beginning broader manufacturing and marketing of tractors in the United States and Canada. The first tractor was built  in their shop converted from a dairy barn on the Steiger farm during the winter of 1957-58. The first Steiger tractor weighed 24,000 pounds.  The tractor was hand-built, mostly out of used parts they had salvaged from mining equipment from northeast Minnesota’s Iron Range.  With only a cutting torch, arc welder, small turning lathe, and the miscellaneous tools usually found around a farm shop, they constructed their tractor.  It was powered by a 6-71 Detroit diesel engine that developed 238 HP, it included the following equipment: 23.1 x 26 tires of equal size (largest ag tires available at the time),  a Fuller 10-speed transmission, truck axles, and a transfer case that was designed and built by the Steigers. They never really intended  to develop a tractor-manufacturing business, it just sort of happened.  In 1963, an Elbow Lake, MN, implement dealer named Earl Christianson attended the Red River Valley Winter Shows, an agricultural show in Crookston, Minnesota.  He had heard about the Steigers’ barn-built tractors, so while in the area he decided to go out and visit Doug and Maurice and to check out the tractors. The tractor impressed him. He proposed to Doug and Maurice that if they built tractors out of new parts, he would sell them. As the demand for the tractor grew they quickly realized their manufacturing facility was inadequate.  They sold a 52% share of their tractor business and then Steiger Manufacturing moved to Fargo, ND. In 1986 it was sold to Tenneco, a parent company of Case IH.
If you have intended the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion in Rollag, MN, recently you probably walked through the new entrance that features Steiger tractors. David and Jeri Yaggie built this replica of the Steiger Barn-Factory in memory of their son, Mark. It was donated to the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion (WMSTR) in Rollag, MN. The building serves as the main entrance and ticket office for WMSTR’s annual Labor Day event. This year the exhibit was, of course, much larger-being the year of the Steiger. There were many amazing and interesting tractors on display!
As we left Rollag my grandson was asked what he liked this year. He responded that he liked the treasure hunt(for kids) and Steigers. I have never owned a Steiger and probably never will.  I’ll stick to my old John Deeres, but the history of Steiger Tractors is an interesting one, especially here in Red Lake County!

How about a little tractor trivia!
1. John Steiger first farmed on his farm eight miles west of St. Hilaire with horses. His first tractor was a ______________?
A) John Deere B) Farmall C) Rumely D) Allis Chalmers
2. Doug and Maurice started doing custom farming to add income. At first they considered buying a 4 wheel drive tractor. What kind did they first consider buying?
A) a Wagner B) Versatile C) Oliver D) Minneapolis Moline
3. Steiger #1 was refurbished by the Steigers in 1975 and was sent to ___________________, in West Fargo, to be displayed.
4. In 1969 when Steiger decided to sell 52% of their company to investors the Model 2250 was renamed the  _________________.
A) Cougar B) TIger C) Wildcat D) Panther
5. The model 1300 was remanded the _______________.
A) Cougar B) TIger C) WIldcat D) Panther
Answers:  1. C. Rumely  2. A. Wagner  3. Bonanzaville 4. B. TIger  5. C. Wildcat