In 1890 Frank Smith established the Smith Manure Spreader Co., and began selling their "Great Western" manure spreader, which was manufactured for them in DeKalb, IL, by Jacob Haish. In 1904 Smith began manufacturing cream separators and at that time they changed the company name to Smith Mfg. Co. Soon afterward they began making small two-stroke gasoline engines for farm use.
In 1911 the Rock Island Plow Co., of Rock Island, IL, acquired distribution rights to Smith's line of manure spreaders, and they eventually took over the line altogether. It appears that the Smith Mfg. Co. faded away after 1911, but the company's commonplace name and lack of advertising makes them difficult to research. They are listed in various commercial directories for some years, but such directories were often slow to remove obsolete listings.
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