Rock Falls
Whiteside County Illinois
These buildings were among the first built in Rock Falls. In 1870 the business was incorporated under the name of the "Keystone Manufacturing Company," with Thomas A. Galt, President and Treasurer; George S. Tracy, Vice President; J. B. Patterson, Secretary. The planing mill built in Sterling was managed by Messrs. John D. Tracy and James F. Platt, and incorporated as the Sterling Manufacturing Company, manufactories of the northwest, with branch houses at Kansas City, MO, St. Louis MO, Iowa, Columbus, Ohio, and Philadelphia, Pa., through the management of which the products of the institution are distributed over the country.
They are manufacturers of a large line of machinery,and are the promoters of the celebrated corn husker, now almost indispensible to the farmer and largely copied by other manufacturers; also of the largest line of corn shellers in the world, which, with their corn harvesters, hay presses and other hay tools, as well as corn planter, disc harrows, etc, makes it an institution of immense magnitude.
At the time of the first starting of the present plant the land in that vicinity was one vast prairie. Along the river bank was innumerable springs, among which was one of superior quality and flow of water. This spring has been utilized and now furnishes a splendid quality of water, which is piped throughout the entire buildings. The business has increased from year to year until now it amounts to about $1,000,000 a year, and employs from 150 to 400 men at different times in the year.
Thomas A. Galt is among the pioneer manufacturers of the West, and has been longer continuously engaged in the business than any other man in the country, and still continues to actively superintend the business. No day passes but President Galt may be found in his cozy office directing the policy of the business, ably assisted by Frank M. Tracy, son of George S. Tracy, Vice President and Secretary, and E. LeRoy Galt, son of Thomas A. Galt, Treasurer, and George W. Packer, Superintendent.
Mr. George S. Tracy died about four a years ago, and while he did not live to see the full development of this business, yet he was able to see it planned on a permanent and substantial basis, with bright prospects for the future. Both of these gentlemen started in life poorer than the average man. They were without capital, and all of their property has been accumulated through their individual exertions. Although they met with many severe trials, such as the fire of 1867, still, with an indomitable will they persevered, and the present business is the outcome of their pluck and energy.
During the past year the office business of the branch houses has been consolidated in the home office, from which all invoices are now sent and all collections made. This necessitated the enlargement of the home office, which is now a fine room 45xl00, elegantly furnished, and with all modern conveniences, divided into various departments, and with a private room for the President, Vice President and Treasurer, communicating with each other. These rooms, while not to the extreme in elegance, are exceedingly comfortable, occupying the south end of the office building, and whee the executive officers are in the closest communication with all branches of the manufactory. The building is lighted by 1,000 incadescent electric lights, the power being furnished by two large dynamos owned by the company and located in the building. The factory is heated with hot air generated in banked steam pipes, drawn through the pipes and blown through out all the buildings, making them exceedingly comfortable and doing away with all draughts. The power use is principally water power suplemented with a 400 horse power Corliss engine supplied with steam from six Babcock & Wilcox water tube boilers.
The business the last three or four years has been somewhat smaller than usual but the prospects for the future are for a larger and better business than ever. With the present efficient management this institution cannot fail to continue to rank among the larger instutions of its kind in this or any other country.
From the Sterling Standard December 11, 1896
The International Harvester Company was one of the leading industries in the city of Rock Falls for some 60 years and its history dates back to the pre-Civil War era.
It was in the year 1905 IHC purchased the Rock Falls property from the Keystone Mfg. Co. It was still called the "Keystone Company" until the year 1919 when the company officials changed the name to the "Rock Falls Works." Durin its heyday the Rock Falls Works of the IHC was one of the oldest manufacturing plants of agricultural implements in the US. It was here in Rock Falls some of the machinery most essential to the modern farming business of today was given its first successful start. During the period of operation IH was to establish a record of manufacturing accomplishment in American history in relation to farm macinery.
Among the early machines launched in Rock Falls was the first successful hayloader, the first side-delivery rake, and the first husker and shredder. The first hayloader was invented by a Pennsylvanian J.W. Foust, and the Keystone Mfg. Co. arranged to make all this m achinery for the territory west of PA. With the destruction of the plant in PA the Keystone became the exclusive manufacturer of the Foust Hayloader which was popular both in the US and abroad. Experiments with the side-delivery hay rakes resulted in a machine with high sale appeal. The disk harrow, improved by Thomas A. Galt, and the first combined corn husker and fodder cutter and shredder, invented by Mr. Galt, were marketed extensively.
The IH history goes back to 1857 when Thomas A. Galt began the manufacture of farm implements in Sterling. His manufacturing plant was small and located at the former site of the C. B & Q railroad freight office in Sterling, which was destroyed in 1976. The busines sprospered and in 1862 required more space. A short time later Galt combined the business with George S. Tracy, who owned a planning mill and a sash and door factory. They carried on the business under the name of Galt & Tracy.
In the spring of 1867, the entire factory was destroyed by fire. In the summer of the same year, Galt & Tracy bought land and water power from A.P. Smith (founder of the city of Rock Falls) on the site of the present plant. The new water power development was especially attractive to the enterprising firm, and it erected the first factory building in the new town of Rock Falls.
In 1870 the business was incorporated under the name of the Keystone Mfg. Co. with Thomas A. Galt, president and treasurer; George S. Tracy, vice president and J.B. Patterson, secretary. The Keystone buildings were originally built of stone taken from the Rock River. Other buildings were added from time to time adn by 1900 an extensive plant was in operation employing some 400 people.
In 1902 the entire plant was sold to a group of men, tow of whom were former residents of the community. The local men were Henry B. Utley, who later became vice president of the IH Company and his uncle Eugene K. Butler. The Keystone operation for a logn time under the management of Utley and in 1905 was purchased by IHC. Records indicate IH paid $340,000 for the real estate and plant during the qcquisition in 1905. The principal addition to the factory after its purchase was the four story building built in 1910. It offset the loss by fire in 1905 of a building previously used as a warehouse. By 1922 the plant was concentrating its operations upon the manufacture of corn shellers, harrows, hayloaders and side-delivery rakes. It had a total capacity of 100,000 machines a year.
In October 1939 IH informed the community that implement production would be discontinued in Rock Falls and transferred to the McCormick Works in Chicago. At the same time the company announced the coil spring manufacturing facility would be transferred to Rock Falls from Springfield Ohio. These moves were made in 1939 and 1940. Some local personnel were transferred to both the McCormick and East Moline IH Works. For the next several years IH in Rock Falls as primarily a spring manufacturing operation. In 1947 another product was added when the plant began the manufacture of the No. 30 power loader.
On the morning of April 16, 1947 fire destroyed the plant's building number 10 which housed the wire and rod plating and drawing operations for the spring plant and some shear and press work. The Sterling & Rock Falls Fire Dept. fought the blaze for hours before bringing it under control. Immediate salvage and reconstruction work was begun and a completely new building was erected at a cost of $100,000. The implement portion of the manufacturing was returned to the plant in 1948 when the disc harrow was transferred from the Auburn NY and Chattanooga Works in TN. The employment raised to 950 during 1948.
The tradition of manufcturing leadership as carrie dby the Rock Falls IH plant and in 1953 wa the largest employer in the city of Rock Falls and second argest in the Rock Falls/Sterling communities. The plant in 1953 averaged 565 employes and paid almost $2,500,000 in wages and salaries that year. The total of the IH property was some $406,929 square feet or nine acres of floor space and the total capital investment represented some $5,240,000 in buildings, equipment and inventories.
In 1961 the management of the Rock Falls IH Co. infomred the community it was closing the oldest and proudest manufacturing industry in the community. The turning of the key in the lock of the old IH plant was to end a colorful, eventful and productive history of manufacturing in Rock Falls - in addition to marking the end of an era.
