[kalvesta]

Looking for help
We are in our 60th year and believe we are the oldest Gleaner dealer in Kansas and maybe more. I am asking to get input as to any other dealers that anyone known’s of that might be older. Also my father purchased an existing dealer (Norton Brothers) in August 1950. We know they were in business selling Gleaner in 1927 as my grandfather purchased a new Gleaner from them that year. We also know their dad Gus started the business in 1916 but do not know when they started selling equipment or Gleaner for that matter.
As I said earlier we are 6o but Gleaner has had a dealer in Kalvesta for at least 83 consecutive years. We think this aint a bad achievement. We look forward to any information and appreciate the help.
Thanks
Bruce Baldwin
Kalvesta Implement 60 years
Norton Brothers/Kalvesta Implement 83 combined, continuous years.

 

[greeniron]

Congratulations to you and your family on the business, and well wishes for future success! Quite an achievement when one considers all the lean years in farming and in dealing with corporate America.

And how coincidental is it that your family's name is Baldwin

 

[bigboy]

Congratulations Bruce on your 60 years selling Gleaner. I bought a R62 from you sight unseen at a auction you had about 7 or 8 years ago, you traded for it from a custom cutter you knew very well and you described it to me over the phone and I called the auctioneer and left a bid on it and I bought it. When I came to pick it up it was in much better condition than I was expecting so I can see why you have been in business for 60 years, it really was a pleasure doing business with you. The combine was a 95 R62 and it has been very very reliable, I have modified it a lot and the capacity and economy are execptional !

 

[belfordwest]

Congratulations on 60 years !!!! Love my Gleaners . Here in Oklahoma we only have 1 or 2 dealers left . Vater Imp in Enid was the longest in Oklahoma , but they closed a year or so ago.

 

[mwhacker88]

Fitting last name for a Gleaner man. Congrats. Maybe you all should spread out reopen Vater's

 

[greencountry]

Wells Implement in Plymouth, NE is celebrating 70 yrs. this year. Not sure when they started selling the gleaner, if it was right away or years later. I do believe that started right away with Allis Chalmers.

 

[kalvesta]

I’ll check with Wells and see.
Also we don’t think that we are related but it’s interesting that the brothers supposedly ran threshing machines and lived in Finney county Ks. That’s the county we are in. My grandfather also did run threshing machines for himself and neighbors. The Baldwin name is on a lot of things wish I would have gotten some of them thar smart genes. Some things I know that have been produced by the under the Baldwin name that I can think of, Locomotives, pianos, and combines.

 

[tbran]

A great heritage for Kalvesta. We have been here in Tn for 32 years and prior to that we can trace our Gleaner roots back to Chenoweth Impl here in Paris Tn. circa 1950 - not many Gleaners back then mostly All-Crops 66-72's

 

[redpainter]

If there is an older Gleaner dealer, they probably sold Minneapolis Moline tractors. I remember seeing a dealer in OK that was White, but had an old MM and Gleaner sign in the window. That was a very popular tractor for the plains. I remember passing through Kalvesta a few times a couple of decades ago. Looked like your dealership was also a MM dealer. That's a long history for a dealership.

 

[kalvesta]

Dad started with MM and Gleaner Nortons started with Hart Parr and gleaner as far as we know. They got crossways with oliver at some point and took on MM. This is a photo of wht it looked like near the time he started.

 

[kalvesta]

Here is a picture of it in the 30's the building next to the one with the big sign on the front is the implement sales building. They moved the implements into the building in the foreground in the 40's i'm told.

 

[greeniron]

Something tells me we probably still can't get that fuel price today.

Great pics, and thanks so much for sharing the history with us. How is the wheat around Kalvesta?

 

[kalvesta]

Wheat looks good I wish we had a super 7 to demo this summer but we will see it soon enough.

Here is a aerial photo of KIC near the time dad started.

 

[orange]

Bruce, great pictures; here's to another 60 years, just need to survive Richenhagens shortened stay (We hope)! My interest is piqued to where I need to pay you a visit this summer.

 

[cornerpost]

anybody ever seen the pictures of Vater Implement in Enid with all those CII 's around the building?often wonder how many they sold during that time.

 

[kalvesta]

Anothe picture to go with the bump back to the top.

 

[kalvesta]

Bump and another picture. Grandpa Ivan Baldwin with his 1910 Rumley 2545B taken around 1919 near you guessed it Kalvesta.

 

[greeniron]

Awesome, Bruce. Again, thank you so much for sharing this history.

 

[nebrmassey]

Kalvesta, Over 45 years ago when I was a child, I remember a custom harvester who would cut wheat in central Nebraska. Dad would hire him and the thing I remember most is that he had Gleaner-Baldwin machines and he would let me ride with him. I think his last name was Thompsom and he was from Kansas. Does that name ring a bell to any of you "old-timers" out there?

 

[kalvesta]

I'll ask Dad when I see him. It doesn't ring a bell with me but there were a lot of cutters that went through here when I was a kid. I always looked forward to harvest. I would either ride combine, or truck in the field or stay and pester the mechanics in the shop. I remember being here after midnight and there still be people coming in for parts. Lots of good memories as a kid in the dealership. Sorry no new picture this time as my computer went down yesterday and i had to take it to town and get the dust blown out of the lines

.

Again if anyone knows of an older Gleaner dealer let us know we would like to run some adds, we don't want to claim something we are not. If indeed there is an older Gleaner dealer we want to give them the credit as these years don't come easy and we want to pay them the respect they have earned. I did check with Wells and the were Allis but not Gleaner until they merged I believe.

Thanks
Bruce