• Friday-What'sUP May 2 - 10:31 pm

Color isn't something we've seen a whole lot of in the Copper Country after having white on the ground for the past five months, so when we see bright hues sprouting in the fields we get excited! Well, maybe not too excited, but I have to admit this brightly painted tractor sitting in the field is pleasing to the eye, melting away some of the drabness of the transition from winter to spring. John Sturos said he couldn't resist capturing this bright orange piece of equipment, with the horses grazing in the background. I bet he didn't notice the American Flag adorning the tractor until he zoomed in closer though. It's still been cold around these parts lately, but it's sure nice to view the fields free of snow and to see the animals out nibbling on the new sprouts of grass. Is it too early to say, "Spring is sprung"? :->

I wonder if that's original colour on that tractor??

Bright orange = Allis Chalmers I believe......

Yay! Allis Chalmers! Appears to be a A.C. WD-45 once upon a time. Hubby and I proudly own a 1963 A.C. D-17 series III.

I think a bungi cord is holding the fan on.

We used to have an old Allis years ago. When hubby sold it at my rummage sale many years ago, he's kicked his self around the block many times since then!

My dad has a John Deere. I think it's 1952 something or other. He would always ask the little kids what a John Deere says. Of course, it says buck-um, buck-um, buck-um....

I wonder what happened to the radiator. Perhaps this tractor is in the process of being restored?

We've been receiving comments on this week's Pasty Cameo about the CCC and the follow up on Friday's Day in History. Perhaps we should make another posting area for feedback on these features. Here's a sample note this morning from Bob Brown in Alabama:

The Cameos bring back old memories...

There was a group called the National Youth Administration (NYA) which went along with the CCC's. It was a younger group of guys. A large training facility was built on the shore of Portage lake next to the Mich Tech Power house. There was complete equipment for machinist training and for woodworking training. Welding, etc. The old East Houghton School which was empty was modified into a barracks type of dormitory for the guys. I am not too sure just how long it was in operation, but there was a circular slide fire escape standing next to the building. It had always been closed and locked. It was unlocked when the boys were staying there. It had a closing mechanism that kept the exit door on the bottom closed until you hit a release from the inside. Needless to say when the padlocks and chains were removed, a bunch of kids had no problem getting the door open and having a great play yard. Sort of an early day Chutes and Ladders. The NYA guys would get mad if we made too much noise and chase us around. Some of them also joined in the fun as they weren't that old.

When the facility closed down, I remember that my father got a work bench with a wood vise and some other small equipment from an open sale that they held in the big training building. The East Houghton school was eventually taken over by the college and became the Forestry Dept headquarters after WWII. A lot of English classes were taught in that building in the late 40's early 50's.

Bob Brown

sorry folks - it's definitely a Case (not a sad case, either)

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh

Makes me think of our old Allis ......kinda miss the bumpy rides ....wonder if she is still running down state some where.

Blessings on this cold dreary morning...

Absolutely love this photo and description!! My husband loves his Allis.

it is surly a case va note the long steering colum and angle

Actually the above was written by an impostor while I'm here working hard. The impostor is Mr. Marsha.

One fine piece of machinery sure does beat all the plastic ones now, my father had a 69 john deer original orange tractor and we still have it, most are green a.

That's a classic Allis in its classic color alright. It was the first tractor on our family farm in Indiana about 1940. My Grandfather would perch me up on the fender and allow me to ride along. When I was about twelve, he put me in the driver's seat pulling a disk. I promptly miscalculated turning at the end of the row and drove into a fence post. My Grandfather got me out of trouble and allowed me to drive on. Grandfathers are great persons. I'm one myself now.

Kenny Chesney- "SHE THINKS MY TRACTOR'S SEXY"

I think she's an old VAC Case. Our neighbor used to have one, while we always had Allis-Chalmers.

What ever the Case. Some one cares for this tractor enough to give it a new coat of paint. I drove a hand clutch Case with a wide front end as a teenager fitting the field for my Dad on our dairy farm here in Hillsdale County. Mrs W

I, too, think it's a Case. My former father-in-law had a '44 Case vac with the hand clutch. The Allis Chalmers had a frame of channel iron, while the Case didn't. I worked on one of the ACs a while ago, changed it from a narrow to the wide front end.

With all the cleaning and new paint, it must be in the process of being restored. Looks like new tires, too.

Uncle Chuck, Kenny Chesney is from Luttrel,TN. the next town north of me,his picture is hanging up all over the place around here. There are all kinds of old Tractor's everywhere you look around here.

Just to add to Bob Brown's note: My uncle, Andrew Sweet (a Tech Professor) owned the home next to the old East Houghton school. In the early '40s we also used to climb that slide and slide back down. The building was empty then.

David, have you ever seen Kenny?? I've been to his concerts and he really puts on a great show (if you like country music, which I do).

My mom attended the East Houghton school until it was closed during the depression. She used to tell us that if they were very good, on Friday afternoons they could slide down the fire escape. She said that it was used by the college but never mentioned the NYA. Then again, she wouldn't have been that old and probably didn't pay attention.