North Country At Work

Farmers loading loose hay with a horse drawn hay loader, early 1900s. Note windrows: hay in foreground raked into rows to prepare it for pick up by loader. Dexter, NY.

Building Stone Road in Dexter. Workers covering tar by hand. Photo taken by Geraldine Stone in front of her home. Circa 1922. Dexter, NY.

Two-horse hitch pulling corn binder and farmer. Circa 1920. Dexter NY.

M.R. Lee with children Chester and Douglas on wagon with milk cans, heading to a cheese factory. Circa 1920. Dexter NY. Related article on early transport of milk here.

Threshing in front of Pillar Point Barn. The  machine was probably steam or gasoline engine driven. Note straw and chaff being blown out beyond horses. Horses are hitched to wagon collecting cleaned grain. Circa 1910. Pillar Point, NY. For more information, check out this North Country at Work story about growing up on a family form […]

Jim Williams’ “Peerless” steam tractor.  Circa 1910. Pillar Point, NY.

Three-horse hitch grain binder, early 1930s, in Dexter NY.

Northwest cable power shovel and road construction worker on construction of South Shore road in Pillar Point. Loaned by Gordon Timerman of Dexter, from the collection of his aunt, Mrs. Cecile Williams. Circa 1939. Dexter, NY.

Grading, during construction of South Shore road in Pillar Point. Loaned by Gordon Timerman of Dexter, from the collection of his aunt, Mrs. Cecile Williams. Circa 1939. Dexter, NY.

Construction of South Shore road in Pillar Point. The bulldozer is removing rocks from Lake Ontario. The bulldozer blade is cable-controlled (it predates hydraulics, possibly a Caterpillar Deisel D9). Loaned by Gordon Timerman of Dexter, from the collection of his aunt, Mrs. Cecile Williams. Circa 1939. Dexter, NY.