Housed in a relatively small building, the museum houses a collection of artefacts, documents and photographs. They have managed to squeeze an amazing number of interesting displays into the building. They have pictorial and textual displays on the Swiss Guides in Golden, the first Sikh People, Explorer and Cartographer David Thompson, Riverboats on the Columbia River, Red River Carts (with a replica cart), Metis people, Early Settlers and the Stolen church of Windermere. Artefacts include many household items and appliances, gold mining paraphernalia, and, outside, a collection of farm implements.
In the middle of the equipment lineup, along with a hay rake, hay tedder and a hay loader is this horse drawn and ground driven sickle mower. Made by International Harvester under the Deering name, this looks to be a six foot unit (length of sickle bar, that is). I couldn't get a model number off this one, but given that it has the IHC logo beneath the seat and
Deering stamped on the casting it would be a post 1911 machine. The style and the open gears say that it is an old one, though.
International Harvester Co. was formed Aug. 12, 1902, when McCormick Harvesting Machine Co., Deering Harvester Co., Plano Harvester Co., Milwaukee Harvester Co. and Warder, Bushnell & Glessner Co. merged.
In 1911, International Harvester began producing implements such as mowers, tedders, rakes and fertilizer distributors under the McCormick name. The McCormick-Deering line of mowers included the No. 6 Plain Mower, No. 6 Vertical Lift Mower and Big 6 Mower. In succeeding years the company produced the McCormick-Deering No. 6 Plain Lift Mower, No. 7 Regular Lift, No. 7 Vertical Lift, Big 7 Regular Lift, Big Trailing – Regular Lift, and the No. 9 mower (also known as the McCormick-Deering Enclosed Steel Gear Mower). From 1939 to 1946, the company offered a regular size and heavy size No. 9 mower.
From Farm Collector