This is a lifelong story of a 1940 John Deere Model A tractor that was owned by my parents when they farmed north of Chamberlain, South Dakota, in West Point Township. Above is me and my sister Gail standing next to the tractor, taken in about 1953.
In 1956 my parents sold out and a neighbor bought the tractor at the auction. He used the tractor primarily for baling hay with an Allis Chalmers Rotobaler. When he no longer used the tractor he parked it in the trees where it sat for many years before a friend of his moved it into a shed, it sat for 9 more years before I acquired it in April of 2017. The picture below shows the result of the neglect it suffered for many years. Some of the parts had been taken off by the friend but he still had everything except one front wheel.
I restored the tractor in time to pull a float in the 2018 Corn Palace Stampede Rodeo Parade which is held annually in Mitchell, South Dakota. Below is a picture of my sister Gail and me on the morning of the parade. The tractor is all original except for the hood, gas tank, and one front wheel.
The last picture shows her in all her glory in the parade, good enough for a third-place trophy. In the picture are my son Brian, daughter Nancy, wife Michelle, and my twin grandsons Luke and Garrett.
Michael Ommen
Mitchell, South Dakota
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