University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources

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May 5, 2006

The start of it all . . . a 1909 Minneapolis Ford B tractor In 1918, Nebraska farmer W. F. Crozier from Osceola in Polk county bought a tractor. When that tractor — the Ford B — (our mascot and not made by the Henry Ford Co.) didn’t live up to its advertised claims, he and fellow State Senator Charles Warner decided to ensure that all farmers would get a fair deal when buying any model of tractor sold in Nebraska. Under their leadership, the Nebraska Tractor Test Law was passed in 1919 to ensure that tractor manufacturers met their advertised claims of tractor performance. At the same time, the legislature established a facility for tractor testing on the campus of the University of Nebraska.

Tractor Museum Open House on Saturday
features new exhibits, tractor parade

The Lester F. Larsen Tractor Test and Power Museum will be hosting an open house this Saturday, May 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is on UNL's East Campus which is between 35th and 48th streets south of Holdrege.

There will be educational exhibits as well as displays of Tractor Test Lab test cars and UNL 1/4 scale tractors, including one with a 550 hp engine. At 2 p.m. there will be a tractor drive-by.

The museum is tucked away in an area behind L.W. Chase Hall and the tractor test facility on UNL’s East Campus. Visit the Museum’s Web site at http://tractormuseum.unl.edu for a map to the museum.

A Nebraska historical gem

The museum is housed in the original Nebraska Tractor Test facility built in 1919. The building was declared an historic landmark by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers and dedicated as a museum in 1980. On May 2, 1998, the museum was officially named to honor Lester F. Larsen., a former UNL professor of agricultural engineering.

It is a member institution of the Nebraska State Museum system and open Tuesdays through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Its mission is to collect, preserve, research and interpret the traditions and technologies of agriculture.

Copyright 2006 by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. All rights reserved.

Published by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Cooperating with the counties and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln does not discriminate on the basis of gender, age, disability, race, color, religion, marital status, veteran's status, national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation.