Antique McCormick Tractors
McCormick Harvesting Machinery Company was started by Cyrus Hall McCormick in 1831. He had a demonstration of his first reaper in 1831, modified it, and had it patented in 1834. This one horse, two man contraption was extremely popular, giving great success to McCormick. His company’s office and factories were burned down in the great Chicago fire of 1871, but in spite of McCormick’s great wealth, he decided to rebuild. McCormick passed away in 1884, but his son, Cyrus Jr., took over operation.
William Deering, a dry-goods manufacturer and merchant, came to Chicago in 1873, giving McCormick and other companies great competition for the harvesting and binder markets. At the turn of the century, intense competition and an increase in manufacturers caused both companies to produce way more than they could sell. Soon after, McCormick and Deering were both bought out by Ford.