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"Rusher" Saw Mill
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The Port Huron Engine and Thresher Company started in 1874 in Battle Creek as the Upton Manufacturing Company and the business was brought to Port Huron in 1884. In 1890 the name of the company was changed to Port Huron Engine and Thresher Company. Since 1890 the business has been successful, the sales increasing yearly and the number of men employed increasing correspondingly. About 700 workmen are employed in the three plants in season and the pay roll amounts to about $300,000 yearly.
At plant No. 1 the Port Huron Engine and Thresher Company manufactures its traction engines, threshers and their attachments, including
slackers, feeders, and buggers. This constitutes the regular threshing
machinery line and is the principal business of the company. This
machinery is sold principally in the central and western states of the United States and the Canadian Northwest. Some export business is done in addition to the North American trade.
In addition to the threshing machinery, road rollers and dump wagons are manufactured, together with portable and semi-portable engines for running rock crushers and furnishing other stationary power. The road machinery business has grown to be quite a factor in the yearly output.
At plant No. 2 are manufactured corn shellers and corn huskers,
machines which are used by the users of traction engines. A full line of sawing machinery is also built here, including portable sawmills, edgers and saw frames. As these machines are also used in connection with traction and portable engines, the products of plant No. 2 are sold in connection with those of plant No. 1.
Plant No. 3 is devoted to the manufacture of malleable castings. A large number of malleables are used in the construction of the other machinery. The capacity of the foundry is sufficient to permit of a considerable amount of outside work. most of it in agricultural lines which is a specialty of this foundry.
Information Sources
- Encyclopedia of American Steam Traction Engines by Jack Norbeck, 1975 page 209
- The Steam Tractor Encyclopedia by John F. Spalding & Robert T. Rhode, 2011 pages 278-279
The Port Huron Engine & Thresher Co. made Steam Rollers starting about 1890. They made a total of over 6,000 Steam Traction Engines along with Portable Steam Engines, Water Wagons, Threshers, Sawmills, Hay Press Balers, Corn Shellers and other road building Machinery.
Information Sources
- Encyclopedia of American Steam Traction Engines by Jack Norbeck, 1975 page 209
- Michigan Bureau of Labor & Industrial Statistics, Volume 22, 1904 pages 366-367
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