First Steam Engine Of The West Still Runs

2026 - Volume #50, Issue #5, Page #04

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In 1878, Joe Blumentritt’s steam engines were the first built west of the Mississippi. Only two remain. At 20, he built 6-hp portable steam engines, one of which was used to hoist stone blocks for the Washington Monument. That engine is in storage at the Smithsonian Museum.

The other remaining Blumentritt is a 12-hp steam tractor that runs every August at the Mitchell County Historical Society Steam and Power Show in Osage, Iowa. It’s the last of 22 6, 12 and 24-hp steam tractors he built on his farm near New Hartford, Minn.

According to a family history written in 1928 by a nephew, Blumentritt didn’t just build the steam engines. He built a dam on Pine Creek, which flowed through his property. The dam provided 14 ft of head to a water turbine pit. The turbine drove a shaft to the 30 by 30-ft shop he built 100 ft away. The line shaft powered turning lathes for wood and metal, a drill press, a band saw, a power trip hammer, and a hacksaw he built himself. It also supplied air to his forge.

He bought boilers in La Crosse, Wis., and had other parts cast there using wood patterns he made. After hauling all the components 12 miles to his shop, he machined and assembled them.

The engines were double-cylinder with a return flue and operated from the side but fired from the front end. They were straight gear with no clutch. The pinion moved when a square key was inserted.

The only one known to have survived was found by Jim Sylling near Spring Grove, Minn., in the early 1950s. It was just one of many that the co-founder of the Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days restored, according to his son, Don.

“He would go to a farm auction and buy them for a few dollars each,” says Sylling.

He recalls his dad taking the fully restored Blumentritt to a steam engine show in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.

“He sold it to Orin Krogstad at the show, something he later regretted.”

Eventually, it was resold to Ed and Ray Smolik, collectors of rare and unique agricultural equipment. Ed, Ray and Evelyn Smolik later donated it to the Mitchell County Historical Society.

This writer lives only a few miles downstream from the site of the Blumentritt shop. My friend, the late Don Heintz (Vol. 41, No. 1), recalled visiting the abandoned shop with its intact line drive. A contributor to the online group Smokestak Antique Engine Community suggested that Blumentritt’s tools are in a private collection.

Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jim Ruen, 33750 Forster Rd., La Crescent, Minn. 55947 (ph 507-895-2229; farmshowjim@gmail.com) or Mitchell
County Historical Society, 18791 Hwy 9, Osage, Iowa 50461 (ph 641-832-2574; mchsosage@gmail.com; www.mitchellcountyhistoricalsociety.org/cedar-valley-memories/1878-blumentritt).

Photo of the remains of Blumentritt’s shop courtesy of Roger Byrne.

Photo of the engine courtesy of Mitchell County Historical Society, Osage, Iowa

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First Steam Engine Of The West Still Runs In 1878, Joe Blumentritt’s steam engines were the first built west of the Mississippi. Only two remain. At 20, he built 6-hp portable steam engines, one of which was used to hoist stone blocks for the Washington Monument. That engine is in storage at the Smithsonian Museum. The other remaining Blumentritt is a 12-hp steam tractor that runs every August at the Mitchell County Historical Society Steam and Power Show in Osage, Iowa. It’s the last of 22 6, 12 and 24-hp steam tractors he built on his farm near New Hartford, Minn. According to a family history written in 1928 by a nephew, Blumentritt didn’t just build the steam engines. He built a dam on Pine Creek, which flowed through his property. The dam provided 14 ft of head to a water turbine pit. The turbine drove a shaft to the 30 by 30-ft shop he built 100 ft away. The line shaft powered turning lathes for wood and metal, a drill press, a band saw, a power trip hammer, and a hacksaw he built himself. It also supplied air to his forge. He bought boilers in La Crosse, Wis., and had other parts cast there using wood patterns he made. After hauling all the components 12 miles to his shop, he machined and assembled them. The engines were double-cylinder with a return flue and operated from the side but fired from the front end. They were straight gear with no clutch. The pinion moved when a square key was inserted. The only one known to have survived was found by Jim Sylling near Spring Grove, Minn., in the early 1950s. It was just one of many that the co-founder of the Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days restored, according to his son, Don. “He would go to a farm auction and buy them for a few dollars each,” says Sylling. He recalls his dad taking the fully restored Blumentritt to a steam engine show in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. “He sold it to Orin Krogstad at the show, something he later regretted.” Eventually, it was resold to Ed and Ray Smolik, collectors of rare and unique agricultural equipment. Ed, Ray and Evelyn Smolik later donated it to the Mitchell County Historical Society. This writer lives only a few miles downstream from the site of the Blumentritt shop. My friend, the late Don Heintz (Vol. 41, No. 1), recalled visiting the abandoned shop with its intact line drive. A contributor to the online group Smokestak Antique Engine Community suggested that Blumentritt’s tools are in a private collection. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jim Ruen, 33750 Forster Rd., La Crescent, Minn. 55947 (ph 507-895-2229; farmshowjim@gmail.com) or Mitchell County Historical Society, 18791 Hwy 9, Osage, Iowa 50461 (ph 641-832-2574; mchsosage@gmail.com; www.mitchellcountyhistoricalsociety.org/cedar-valley-memories/1878-blumentritt).

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