The horses of war
The War Horses: The Tragic Fate of a Million Horses in the First World War by Simon Butler details the use, abuse, pain and suffering of horses used in World War I.
Farm news: Some things haven’t changed in the last 70 years
As some of you may have gathered, I have an extensive collection of old farm magazines from the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. I like...
The first real automatic transmission
A brief history of the automatic transmission.
Lincoln Highway stretches across country
The Complete Official Road Guide of the Lincoln Highway gives background, describes the route, and gives traveler tips and a cross-country trip supply list.
100 years ago, progress meant infrastructure
Sam Moore recaps a 100-year-old letter to the Rural New Yorker, which described the construction of a military road during World War I.
General Motors has grown since the first Buick
The General Motors Corporation got its start with the Buick, and retains the oldest car name plate now in America, as one of its premier offerings.
The dreaded parlor stove makes its return again
Folks in the latter half of the 19th century went through an unpleasant ritual along about this time of year, or probably a little earlier in Northern climes, called “putting up the parlor stove.”
Dear I.H., ‘we can’t be without our tractor’
In 1919, International Harvester Company published 48 letters from satisfied operators describing how they used their tractors and how reliable they were.
When cars went from luxury to necessity
The automobile revolutionized life on the farm and gave farm families a freedom they had never known before.
How the 1940 Nash slipped through my hands
As most of you don't remember, my birthday falls early in August and I always wax a little nostalgic around this time. For a number of years, I've had a low grade itch to own an old car or truck, but hate to spend the money that people want for most of them.
