ESTERLY HARVESTER

The Minneapolis Esterly Harvester Company manufactured farm implements (featuring a self-tying twine binder). The company was started by George Esterly (b. Ulster County, NY), who farmed 1200 acres in Wisconsin in 1837. He invented, patented, and manufactured a grain header in 1844, with other farm implements to follow. His son George W. Esterly (b. 1842) joined the firm, and it was incorporated as the Esterly Harvesting Machine Company in 1884 in Wisconsin.

In 1892, Esterly Harvester Works moved from Whitewater, Wisconsin to become one of T.B. Walker's companies, incorporated as the Minneapolis Esterly Harvester Company on April 18, 1892. Walker supplied a 10-acre plant that included 2-3 story brick buildings and employed over 500 men. [200 people, 35 of which were girls] The plant was located south of West 32nd Street, north of Highway 7, west of Alabama Avenue, and west of Gorham, Republic, and Louisiana Avenues. Mr. Esterly made a lot of money and built a house in Kenwood, as suited his station.

Although the factory employed up to 600 people during peak seasons, it turned out to be unsuccessful, since other companies were turning out more and better machines, driving down prices below the cost of Esterly's cost. The Esterly site was taken by the Minnesota Sugar Company in 1898, and then by Republic Creosote in 1915.

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This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.