In 1868 John Deere's business became known as Deere & Company. It began to branch out, and by the end of the 19th century the company was manufacturing cultivators, harrows, seed drills, planters, wagons, buggies, and bicycles. This wide range of business called for an expansion of the Moline, Illinois - business headquarters.
In 1915, Deere & Company decided it needed a tractor on its manufacturing line. The company thought the addition of tractors would bring back the business of farmers who were becoming attracted to town life due to the popularity of Henry Ford's new automobile. They looked for a merger with a company in Waterloo, Iowa. Deere associate Frank Silloway said, "here we have an opportunity to, overnight, step into practically first place in the tractor business.... I believe that we would be acting wisely if we purchased this plant."
The company already existing in Waterloo was John Froelich's Waterloo Gasoline Traction Engine Company. Froelich chose the Waterloo location in 1893 for its good railroads and manpower. Froelich's tractors never found a big success, and he sold his company to John W. Miller in 1895. Miller renamed the unsuccessful business Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company. The Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company was a two-story building that occupied a 50-foot by 100-foot area and employed 20 workers. By 1914 the two-cylinder tractor, Waterloo Boy, became popular amongst farmers. The Waterloo company had an advantage over their competition in that its two-cylinder tractors were cheaper than four-cylinder ones. Soon word spread about the promise that the Waterloo Boy tractor offered.
Deere &Company purchased the Waterloo Gasoline Traction Engine Company on March 14, 1918, for $2,350,000, which included all plant facilities and employees. This would be Deere & Company's only tractor works in the United States. Deere & Company associate C. D. Velie commented on the purchase,
"I am more than satisfied we have made the best move Deere &Company has ever made, and that it was an extremely fortunate thing we were able to buy this plant. I believe if we handle this proposition right, the Waterloo Boy will be to the tractor trade what the Ford car is to the automobile trade. Of course the Ford tractor will take first place, but if we can take second place that will be good enough for us."
By 1919 Deere & Company employed 1,000 employees and had 50 acres of land including a machine house, a forge shop, a heat-treating building, and a foundry. Sales increased with this big name added to the company, and by 1921 the company had sold 5,045 Waterloo Boy tractors. The two-cylinder tractors began to be referred to as "Poppin' Johnnys" for the popping sound they made. Eventually, this familiar sound was no longer heard as farmers demanded tractors with increased horsepower, power steering, quicker maneuvering capabilities, and many other conveniences.
| Waterloo, Iowa, was home for Deere & Company throughout the years. An electric foundry, one of the first of its kind, began operation in Waterloo in 1972. In 1975 they picked Waterloo as the site for a new 189-acre engine facility and foundry which they called John Deere Engine Works. Another factory referred to as the "Northeast Site" opened in May 1981 and specialized in the production of tractors. Deere & Company invested $1 million in the Waterloo Tractor Works built in 1982. This plant alone could manufacture up to 40,000 large-sized farm tractors annually which alone was enough tractors to handle the worldwide demand. The Waterloo Tractor Works specialized in the following: equipment, logistics, technical backup, work relations, and compensation. The addition of these new foundries put Waterloo, Iowa, on the map as a major farm equipment producer. |  |
