WMSTR, or the Western
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
Steam
Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...
Threshers Reunion, is an annual, non-profit
"steam meet" held in the small town of
Rollag, Minnesota
Rollag is an unincorporated community in Parke Township Clay County, Minnesota, United States. The community is located northeast of Barnesville and south of Hawley on Minnesota State Highway 32.
The living museum WMSTR WMSTR, or the Western ...
. It takes place over the weekend of the US
Labor Day
Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...
holiday (first Monday in September), and draws around 80,000 visitors during the four days of the event.
Beginning in 1954, the reunion has grown from a few farmers threshing grain, as their fathers had, to one of the largest steam venues in the nation. Antique and
steam tractor
:''This article refers to the steam-powered agricultural tractor; for other types of steam tractor, see: Traction engine''
A steam tractor is a vehicle powered by a steam engine which is used for pulling.
In North America, the term ''steam t ...
s and automobiles are featured.
Attractions
WMSTR is a living museum and as such, all exhibits are expected to be operable.
One of the most popular, visible, and amazing attractions is the SOO LINE 0-6-0 class switch engine #353 which pulls a 500-passenger train around the show grounds. Also present is a miniature train, two full-size steam-operated sawmills, the larger called the Briden-Roen Sawmill after its builders and the smaller mill called Earl's Mill. Other main attractions include the steam hammer, the giant Snow Engine, which has an approximately 24 foot flywheel, and an area very popular with children, Miniatureland, which holds several hand-built miniature steam tractors and its own miniature sawmill that saws walking sticks for all the visitors who would like one. On the WMSTR grounds, there are several areas devoted to different types of machinery. There are gas engine buildings, a horsepower area, a construction area, and an expo ground. Several hundred tractors are put on display by the workers. In about the last decade, the Main Street area has grown as an attraction for many of those more interested in the everyday aspects of the past. Main Street has many buildings and demonstrations showing what daily life was like in times past.
Common names
To most locals, the reunion is known by several names. "Rollag", "Steamer Hill", "WMSTR" or simply "The Hill."
Gunderson Pond
Gunderson Pond is the pond located in the center of the grounds. It also has its own "Pond Monster," a likeness of the Loch Ness Monster floating in the middle of the pond.
Steamer Hill
Every day during the Reunion, at 10am and 2pm, Steamer Hill hosts a parade consisting of all sorts of machinery, from old cars to the giant steam-powered tractors. The Nelson crew does the whistle calls.
See also
*
Otto engine
The Otto engine was a large stationary single-cylinder internal combustion four-stroke engine designed by the German Nicolaus Otto. It was a low-RPM machine, and only fired every other stroke due to the Otto cycle, also designed by Otto.
Types ...
*
Steam hammer
A steam hammer, also called a drop hammer, is an industrial power hammer driven by steam that is used for tasks such as shaping forgings and driving piles. Typically the hammer is attached to a piston that slides within a fixed cylinder, but i ...
*
Rollag, Minnesota
Rollag is an unincorporated community in Parke Township Clay County, Minnesota, United States. The community is located northeast of Barnesville and south of Hawley on Minnesota State Highway 32.
The living museum WMSTR WMSTR, or the Western ...
*
Soo Line 353
Soo or SOO may refer to:
Places
* Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, a border city in Canada nicknamed "The Soo"
* Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, a border city in the United States also nicknamed "The Soo"
** Soo Locks, the locks between Lake Superior and ...
External links
Rollag Home PageWestern Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion Facebook Page
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
Aerial view of the showgroundsWMSTR Google MapSteam Threshing & Trains
Documentary produced by Pioneer Public Television
KWCM-TV (channel 10) is a PBS member television station in Appleton, Minnesota, United States, owned by the West Central Minnesota Educational TV Corp. KWCM-TV's studios are located on Pioneer Drive in Granite Falls, and its transmitter is locat ...
Rollag - Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
Threshermen's Reunions
Tourist attractions in Clay County, Minnesota
Festivals in Minnesota
Steam museums in the United States
1954 establishments in Minnesota
Recurring events established in 1954
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