Worthington, Minn
Gordy Wilson had a love of Allis Chalmers tractors. He refused to use any other brand.
"They had to be orange, and they had to be Allis Chalmers," said his daughter, Sharon Anderson of Calgary, Alberta.
Wilson's collection of Allis Chalmers was a main attraction of the 19th annual Prairie Reapers Power Reunion at Pioneer Village in Worthington recently.
Wilson, of Round Lake, was looking forward to the show, said John Ahlers, treasurer of the Prairie Reapers. A board member, Wilson died June 27.
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"He would be so proud to see all the tractors here," said his granddaughter, Macy Anderson, of Las Vegas.
The event displayed 70 tractors, half of which were Allis Chalmers. The Prairie Reapers feature a different brand of tractors in its major show each year, Ahlers said. Last year, the organization, which works to preserve area farm machinery, featured John Deere tractors at Okabena's 125th celebration.
The Prairie Reapers hauled in more than 20 Allis Chalmers pieces from Wilson's collection, according to board president Gene Bicknese.
"We're just honored that they chose to do this in memory of my dad," Sharon Anderson said.
Sharon said her father began collecting and fixing up Allis Chalmers more than 15 years ago. Macy remembers he was always working on something. "A piece of junk was something he could fix up and treasure," she said. Wilson died while working on a tractor for the show, and Macy believes that's the way he would have wanted to go. "No where else he'd rather been," she said. Wilson was buried in his orange suspenders, and his casket was pulled by one of his tractors. "He probably bled orange rather than red," Sharon said. The combination of the tractor display and the village activities drew a lot of visitors to Pioneer Village, including Maynard and Marlene Miller of Worthington. "We enjoy seeing Pioneer Village," Marlene said. "Seeing all the old tractors is interesting." The couple farmed near Chandler for 40 years, and Maynard is happy to see people restoring so many old tractors. "I get nostalgic over these tractors and older machinery," he said.
Kristin Holtz is a reporter for The Worthington Daily Globe, a Forum Communications Co. paper.
