Drill Seeder - Colville, WA
Posted by: T0SHEA
N 48° 33.041 W 117° 54.568
11U E 432883 N 5377908
This is one of two drill seeders now on display at the Stevens County Museum at 700 North Wynne Street in Colville, WA.
Waymark Code: WMJD06
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 11/01/2013
Views: 2
Like its partner at the museum, this old seeder has steel rimmed wooden wheels and a wooden seed box. This one, however, is probably the older of the two, as it has a primarily wooden frame, whereas the other's frame is made almost entirely of steel. The name plate on the end of the seed box says only
Monitor Drill.
This tells us, however, that the drill was manufactured by the Monitor Drill Company of St. Louis Park, Minnesota. They achieved a US Patent, Number 781715, for "certain new and useful Improvements in Seed-Drills" in 1905. The description of the frame in the patent application:
" The main part of the machineframe is, as shown. in the form of a pipe-section bent to form a large bail 3. The transverse portion of this frame-bail 3 extends at the front of the machine, and the intermediate portions of its backturned prongs are coupled to the axle 2 by bearing-brackets A"
tends to indicate that this seeder, with wooden frame, would predate this particular patent (1905).
It is now part of the agricultural machinery display at the Museum. Though there is a $5.00 charge to view the main building's displays, the outdoor displays are free to view and available all year. The museum building is closed from October through April.