Rock Island Plow Company

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Rock Island Plow Company
legal form Corporation; Group brand
founding 1885
resolution 1937
Reason for dissolution takeover
Seat Rock Island , Rock Island County , Illinois , USA
management Louis Buford, JJ Gilmore
Branch Farm equipment, tractors

The Rock Island Plow Company is a former American manufacturer of agricultural machinery and tractors.

history

The company goes back to the plow manufacturer Buford & Tate Company which was founded between 1854 and 1856 in Rock Island (Illinois) . When the co-founder RN Tate retired in 1864, the Buford Plow Works emerged . After the death of the second partner Charles Buford in 1866, his sons Basil D. and Louis M. Buford took over the company and expanded it. Soon production rose to 500–600 plows a week. In 1871 it was reorganized as BD Buford & Company with share capital of US $ 250,000. The investors included the bankers and entrepreneurs Philemon Libby Mitchell († 1895) and Frank Mixter (1853-1934) who individually or together owned the State Bank of Rock Island , the Rock Island Stove Company and the Rock Island Glass Works and owned shares in the Republic Oil Refining Company , Rock Island Buggy Company, and Rock Island Children's Carriage Works . They also were among the organizers of the public Pferdebahn Moline and Rock Iceland Horse Railway (later Davenport and Rock Iceland Street Railway System ).

The Rock Island Plow Company now had an iron foundry , forge , grinding , joinery, and paint shop at its headquarters on Illinois and Main Streets (now 2nd Avenue and 6th Street ) near the Mississippi River . In 1875, 215 employees produced around 200 plows a day. BD Buford & Company received an award for the quality of their products at the 1876 ​​World's Fair in Philadelphia ( Pennsylvania ) . From 1877 shift work was carried out. Setbacks were a flood when the Mississippi overflowed its banks in June 1880 and a devastating conflagration on New Year's Eve of the same year. 475 employees lost their jobs as a result.

As early as August 1881, production could be resumed in a new, three-story building with an area of ​​1746 m². In 1885 there was another reorganization as the Rock Island Plow Company . President was now JJ Gilmore ; Louis Buford remained on the management board as CFO . In 1910 an 8-story warehouse (which still stands today) and a larger forge were added.

Tractors

In 1914 Rock Island Plow took over an agency for Heider tractors. Its manufacturer, the Heider Tractor Company , was bought up in 1916. The brand name remained until 1928, after which the tugs were sold as Rock Island . Business was very different. In 1921 there were layoffs and an almost complete closure, but as early as 1928 the company was running again 24 hours a day. During the economic crisis , the company ran into difficulties again. The manufacture of tractors was given up in 1935. In 1937 the company was taken over by the JI Case Company .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ rockisland.civicplus.com: Philemon Libby Mitchell

literature

  • Beverly Rae Kimes (eds.) And Henry Austin Clark, jr .: The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805–1942 , 2nd edition, Krause Publications, Iola WI 54990, USA (1985), ISBN 0-87341-111-0 ( English)

Web links