Steam plowing, Thomas Ranch, Chico, Cal. – Historic Print
![Steam plowing, Thomas Ranch, Chico, Cal., [no date recorded on caption card] — historic photograph](https://images.jameslantos.com/img/18/18a042c1bd70-L.webp)
(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)
Description
Few images capture their era like this historic photograph of Steam plowing, Thomas Ranch, Chico, Cal.. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.
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Steam plowing, Thomas Ranch, Chico, Cal.
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Steam plowing on the Thomas Ranch near Chico, California, shows a large-scale method of breaking farm ground that depended on heavy steam traction engines pulling multiple plows. The record does not give a date, so the photograph's exact period is unknown. Steam power was widely used on big grain operations in the Central Valley in the decades around 1900, before gasoline tractors came into common use. The picture is catalogued under farm machinery and geography, and it offers a clear view of the equipment and the scale of work it required.
| Created / published | [no date recorded on caption card] |
|---|---|
| Medium | 1 photographic print. |
| Notes | No. 7264. This record contains unverified, old data from caption card. Caption card tracings: Geogr.; Farm Machinery. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division |
| Original scan | 1,863 × 1,500 px · prints to 6 × 5 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | AMZ-SOTP-HPA-144413 |
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