Rusty Relics

Rusty Relics. . , Reminders of the Past , THE OLD FARM EQUIPMENT you see here once belonged to Washoe Valley's early ranchers. In spite of the area's famous mining heyday, agriculture and ranching have been the real mainstays of life for local residents since the mid-nineteenth century., OWNING THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT for the job was essential and expensive. Just like today, people valued the best in innovation and were always keen to purchase tools offering convenience and improved productivity., What Are These Contraptions? , Horse Rake , IN THE LATE 1800s American farmers began using horse-drawn rakes to gather their hay. The machines originally had large wooden teeth that would cut the hay, but these often broke on rocky terrain. Later models had steel spring teeth. Once the hay was dry, men and boys used pitchforks to collect the hay and toss it into wagons for transport., The Osborne Harvester/Binder , BY 1880 MANY COMPANIES were manufacturing harvesters that cut standing grain and automatically tied it into neat bundles. This type of machine revolutionized the grain industry. Now one man could do the work of many and save weeks of precious time., The Deering Hay Mower , THE FIRST HORSE-DRAWN MOWING MACHINE was patented in 1812, but improvements on its design continued for the next forty years. The big issue of concern was how to protect drivers from falling and being injured by the cutting bar. The Deering hay mower you see here was a later and safer design, with the cutting bar in front of the driver. It was used in Washoe Valley in the late 1800s., Can You Spot this Equipment? , Fresno Scraper , THIS MACHINE IS ALSO CALLED a “buck scraper” and it was used in the early days of horse-drawn road grading. The Fresno Scraper you see here is believed to have been used in the late 1870s. It helped to create a road connecting Old Washoe City to Franktown., Early Irrigation Pipe , BEFORE METAL AND PLASTIC PIPES were available, water was moved through ditches and wooden pipes like the one you see here to irrigate crops and bring water to livestock and people. The main advantage of using pipes was that it helped reduce water loss due to evaporation and seepage., A Farming Heritage , SOME EARLY FARMERS were prosperous. They fared much better than the miners, and the hay they harvested was valued on the Comstock at $100 or more per ton., IF A FAMILY LEFT THE AREA, it was common practice to leave anything behind that couldn't be easily transported. All the items you see here were donated by local residents., These relics are valuable symbols of local heritage and agricultural traditions in Washoe Valley., Art by Faith Rumm