From Horse to Horsepower

From Horse to Horsepower. Forest Home Farms Historic Park. Man power or animal power – that was the choice for most farmers up until the 1930s to till, sow and reap their crops. Gas engines existed from the early 19th century but were only able to do stationary farm and household chores like grinding grain, churning butter, splitting logs, and washing clothes., In 1910, there were more than 24 million horses and mules on American farms, about three of four animals per farm. Early tractors were steam-powered – big, hard to operate, and dangerous. The first gas-powered tractor was introduced in 1892. , In 1917, Henry Ford designed the first mass-produced farm tractor, the Fordson, and it caught on fast. By 1920, ten percent of California farmers were using tractors, well ahead of the rest of the nation. But tractor wheels sank in soft soil and Benjamin Holt solved that problem with his caterpillar tractor treads that rolled over soggy ground. Forest Home Farms has an extensive collection of tractors and engines housed in this tractor museum. Forest Home Farm Historic Park is on the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resources, The City of San Ramon encourages our residents to enjoy this beautiful park in celebration of our historic past. By acquiring, protecting and maintaining this valuable parkland, the City of San Ramon is preserving for current and future generations natural places where people and other living things can thrive.