The story of John Deere, who developed the world's first commercially successful, self-scouring steel plow, and who's progeny perfected modern farm equipment, closely parallels the settlement and development of the Midwestern United States, an area that the homesteaders of the 19th century considered the golden land of promise.
John Deere was born in Rutland, Vermont, February 7, 1804. He spent his boyhood and young adulthood in Middlebury, Vermont, where he received a common school education and served a four-year apprenticeship learning the blacksmith's trade.
The first John Deere Plow
There was much to be done for young John Deere - shoeing horses and oxen, and repairing the plows and other equipment for the pioneer farmers. From them he learned of the serious problem they encountered in trying to farm the fertile soil of the Midwest. The cast-iron plows they had brought with them from the East were designed for the light, sandy New England soil. The rich Midwestern soil clung to the plow bottoms and every few steps it was necessary to scrape the soil from the plow. Plowing was a slow and laborious task. Many pioneers were discouraged and were considering moving on, or heading back east.
John Deere studied the problem and became convinced that a plow with a highly polished and properly shaped moldboard and share ought to scour itself as it turned the furrow slice. He fashioned such a plow in 1837, using the steel from a broken saw blade, and successfully tested it on the farm of Lewis Crandall near Grand Detour.
Steel Plow Met Prairie Needs
Deere's steel plow proved to be the answer pioneer farmers needed for successful farming in what was then "the West." But his contribution to the growth of American agriculture far exceeded just the development of a successful steel plow.
It was the practice of that day for blacksmiths to build tools on order for customers. But John Deere went into the business of manufacturing plows before he had orders for them. He would produce a supply of plows and then take them to the country to be sold - an entirely new approach to manufacturing and selling in those early pioneer days, and one that quickly spread the word of John Deere's "self-polishers."
The Cache
The container is a camoed 64 oz. Skippy Peanut Butter jar. Since GPS reception at the spot is... errr spotty, we have included a photo of the... errr spot below. Consider it a spoiler.
Watch a Tractor Trail downhill run on YouTube.
Watch SDF Log Riding... and crashing on YouTube.
FTF! - Shannonpark
"Great place. The Soquel Demonstration Forest is a very incredible place....for its natural beauty and mountain-biking."