Rollag, Minnesota.
Last weekend, Labor Day Weekend 2020, the last hurrah of summer for many, saw annual activities canceled due to the ongoing pandemic. One such casualty is the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion. The event started by western Minnesota farmers in 1940 became an attraction in 1954 when it was open to the public. The steam thresher was the first mechanized device that separated seeds from stalks. It did so by simply beating the harvested crop until the seeds fell away.
As a reminder of the gathering at Rollag, Minnesota, I thought I would re-share some of the photos from my visit there about five years ago. The celebration of mechanized farming has grown from a couple of families honoring the ways of their ancestors to a much larger event featuring steam engines (and engines of all types). Organizers of the all-volunteer staff are already in the planning stages for Labor Day Weekend 2021. It’s about time I scheduled another visit for a fresh look at the agricultural technology of yesteryear.
The small gallery of images below features a few of my favorite pics. Click here to revisit my post about WMSTR from 2015 and to view the complete gallery of images I posted then. Click on an image below to enlarge it and to scroll through the gallery.
John Steiner
Flare Legend Adventures
Very interesting! I may try to go there next year.
It is a fascinating experience. The steam tractor pulls are something to watch.
What is the schedule for labor day weekend two thousand twenty three
Here you go! https://rollag.com/about/schedule-of-events/
My dad owned a stationary steam engine in one of the buildings at Rollag for a number of years. He was a great fan of steam engines and also built miniatures. He’s been gone for many years but he loved going to Rollag.