The Historical Preservation Society of Maple Grove shared this vintage photo of a threshing rig with Maple Grove Magazine. The picture was taken at the James Chapman farm, which can now be found on Territorial Road in Maple Grove.
In the early 1900s, Maple Grove was predominantly a farming community. The old-fashioned way of harvesting was to cut grain by hand. So when farmer Con Meyer purchased a threshing rig in the 1950s, he became the neighborhood thresher, since few famers owned the newfangled device at the time.
“Con Meyer owned the threshing machine and engine that went with it, and then traveled from farm to farm,” says Caroline Schaefer, president of the historical society. Meyer would help other farmers with the harvest, then they would haul the grain in and separate it from the straw. The grain was mostly used to feed animals.
The Maple Grove Historical Preservation Society has archived many photos depicting the way Maple Grove used to look. The collection is available for viewing at the museum every second Sunday of the month from 1-4 p.m.
