Allis Chalmers Factory West Allis Wisconsin Circa 1911

My father and grandfather both spent their entire working careers at Allis Chalmers in West Allis, Wisconsin. This is a neat postcard showing the plant circa 1911. That was well before they worked there, but the core buildings were the same.

The street in the foreground is South 70th Street, and the street to the right is West Greenfield Avenue,

The postcard is franked with a one-cent Franklin. It's either US Scott 331 or 374 depending on the watermark. I suspect #374 given the May 28, 1911, postmark.

I can find lots of information on the recipients, Stanley and Lillie Whallon of Ohio, but not on the sender, Gilbert Jackson. He shows up in the 1911 Milwaukee City Directory, occupation machinist, but that's about it. I'll keep searching.

The Acmegraph Co. was a Chicago-based postcard publisher and printer that was in business from 1908 to 1918.

Here I am driving my 1948 A-C Model C in about 2002 in Templeton, CA. It had bulletproof reliability and mowed hundreds of acres of the ranch over the next ten years. I sold it with the acreage in 2012.

Chris - Is that fossil fuel gobbling machine illegal now in Cali?

Just to relieve your concern Rogdcam, those old tractors are all "grandfathered".

Great postcard, followed up by a great picture demonstrating the soundness of manufacture.And to think they were all made there. My favorite all time AC tractor was the "G" a one row cultivator. I believe your tractor CJ was contemporary to the Ford 8N, which is still common at every farm sale. All these old tractors have their fans, my best friend is an IH man, I think he has 26 or 27. I love that picture of the plant, 46 years after the Civil War, over 100 years ago now. very cool.
Cheers, mark

Great card, and a neat note on the other side. They must have had a lot of employees at a plant that size.

Was it true that John Deere proposed to Alice Chalmers? Just a little comic relief there. Nice historical cover.

My father and grandfather both built AC tractors, but I never rode or even sat on one! I grew up in the "big city," not in the country. I do remember touring that plant when I was a kid, however.

I don't have picture of my dad working at the plant, but I do have this one of my grandfather. He's on the far right. I'm not sure of the year, but I'm guessing sometime in the 1950s.

My grandfather won this AC set at a farmers gathering c1965. As the only grandson, I played with it whenever I visited them on the farm and no doubt I am the main reason for a few small missing pieces and paint chips. I was astounded when I finally inherited it to discover it was in the original box.


And here I am at about 6 months on my other grandfather's lap riding an I-H Cub Cadet, bought jointly for about $600 by my father and grandfather in 1963, the second model year (I think), without fenders, headlights, etc. We still have it.

John - You haven't changed a bit!

Allis Chalmers postcard probably from the 1970s.

This is why I like cards, both postal and post. A simple view card shared, can evoke memories and responses from so many different people.
Pat