Caterpillar Tractor Collection
Caterpillar Tractors: Transforming Agriculture from 1911 to 1939 From hauling freight on the lake to the Yukon in the early 1900s (Unknown
All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping
Caterpillar Tractors: Transforming Agriculture from 1911 to 1939 From hauling freight on the lake to the Yukon in the early 1900s (Unknown, "Caterpillar Hauling Freight on the Lake in Spring to the Yukon," 1911-1913, Artist: Herbert Ponting), to clearing land on a Western Washington farm in Lewis County (Dorothea Lange, "Caterpillar Clearing Land on a Cut, Western Washington, Lewis County," 1939), the Caterpillar tractor revolutionized large-scale agriculture. In the Imperial Valley of California, this mechanical marvel transformed the landscape. Dorothea Lange captured the essence of this transformation through her photographs. In 1939, she documented the use of Caterpillar tractors in potato farming (Dorothea Lange, "Large-scale, Mechanized Farming - Potato Planter, Kern County, California"), as well as the labor force that made it all possible (Dorothea Lange, "Large-scale Agricultural Gang Labor, Mexicans and Others near Meloland, Imperial Valley"). The Caterpillar tractor's impact was not limited to potato farming alone. It was also used for carrot farming (Dorothea Lange, "Carrot Digger, Imperial Valley, California"), and its large scale and efficiency left a lasting impression on the agricultural industry. Even before the widespread use of Caterpillar tractors in agriculture, they had already made a significant impact. In 1911, Chief Stoker Lashly received the Albert Medal for his work on the HMS Terra Nova, which included the use of a Caterpillar tractor for hauling coal (Unknown, "Chief Stoker Lashly," 1911, Artist: Herbert Ponting). The Caterpillar tractor's story is one of innovation, progress, and the transformation of industries. From the frozen waters of the Yukon to the sunny fields of California, the Caterpillar tractor left an indelible mark on the agricultural landscape of the early 20th century.