John Deere

We've all heard of John Deere the "tractor guy". He was born in Rutland, Vermont to William Rinold Deere and Sarah Yates Deere on February 7, 1804 as their third son. His father left for England in 1808 in hopes of claiming an inheritance and was never heard from again. It was presumed he died at sea. At the age of 17, John apprenticed himself and learned the trade of blacksmiths and entered it himself in 1825. In 1827 he married and during his life had nine children.

 In 1836, trying to provide for his family with depressing business conditions in Vermont, John traveled alone to Grand Detour, Illinois to make a fresh start.  Many pioneer farmers were trying to find a fresh start there but were struggling to turn heavy, sticky prairie soil with cast iron plows made for the light, sandy soil of New England. John had the idea that they needed a plow that was highly polished and properly shaped to scour itself as it cut furrows. In 1837, he made just that with a broken saw blade. By 1841, he was making 100 plows annually and in 1843 he entered a partnership with Leonard Andrus to help produce more because of increasing demand. Unfortunately, John dissolved his partnership with Andrus and moved his business and family to Moline, Illinois because of water power, coal and cheaper transportation.

In 1850, around 1600 plows were made, along with other tools to complement the steel plow. In 1858, John transferred leadership of the company to his son Charles, who served as vice president of the company. John remained president but focused more to civic and political activities. He was active in public life throughout his career in Moline. He was the founder and president of the National Bank of Moline, was an active member of the First Congregational Church, and served as the city's mayor for 2 years. John died at the age of 82 on May 17, 1886 in Moline.

Sources: http://www.deere.com/wps/dcom/en_US/corporate/our_company/about_us/history/past_leaders/john_deere_founder_biography.page
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Deere_(inventor)#cite_note-deere.com-1

Fort Ticonderoga Captured

The Green Mountain Boys had a huge victory that would change the course of the Revolutionary War on May 10, 1775. They captured the infamous Fort Ticonderoga. In 1755, French settlers in North America began building a military fortification on the western shore of Lake Champlain and named it Fort Carillon. Because it offered access to both Canada and the Hudson River Valley, the fort saw a lot of fighting during the French and Indian War. The British had to fight twice for the fort but took it over in 1759 and renamed it Fort Ticonderoga, as 'Ticonderoga' was derived from an Iroquois word meaning "between two waters" or "where the waters meet" which was very true.

The morning of the attack the British garrison of 50 men were asleep, while under the joint command of Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold, fewer than a hundred Green Mountain Boys crossed Lake Champlain at dawn, surprised and captured the British garrison and took over the fort. It was the first rebel victory of the Revolutionary War, a huge morale boost for the troops and supporters of the rebels, and provided key artillery for the Continental Army. Cannons from the fort were used in the Siege of Boston in the spring of 1776 and because of its location, the fort would serve as a staging ground for the Continental troops before their invasion of territory held by the British in Canada.

A print depicting Ethan Allen's Capture of Fort Ticonderoga in May 1775.

Fort Ticonderoga was the biggest turn-around for the rebels, as its shelter and supplies helped them win many more battles. Without it, they might not have won the war. So we owe a lot to those Green Mountain Boys for being clever enough to change the game.

Vermont Welcomes a Hero Home

On May 1, 1898, George Dewey sunk or captured every Spanish ship in Manila Bay. Dewey, a Vermont native born across the street from the Vermont State Capital was born to Julius Dewey and Mary Perrin on December 26, 1837. Julius was a doctor and founder of the National Life Insurance Company of Vermont. When George was 15, he attended Norwich University in Northfield and entered the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1854. In 1897, George was appointed commander of the Pacific Fleet.

On April 23, 1898, the United States and Spain declared war on each other and George was ordered to take his ships to Manila Bay in the Philippine Islands to destroy or capture the Spanish fleet there. On that memorable first day in May, from his flagship the Olympia, George led his squadron into the bay. When the Spanish began firing on them, George said to the captain of the Olympia "You may fire when ready, Gridley." Not only are those words famous, but the fact that he withdrew from the battle at 7:35 for breakfast, attacked again at 11 and by noon had sunk or captured every single Spanish ship. And as for the Americans, there were no serious injuries among them.

When Admiral George Dewey returned to America, he was a naval hero and received many gifts, parades, and thanks. But for Vermonters, the best day was when he returned home. On October 12, 1899 everyone who was anyone came to celebrate. The day was destined Dewey Day and George visited friends and relatives and rode in his railroad car all the way to the State House. Many Montpelier buildings were decorated in red, white and blue, but the finest decorations were on the State House. With 260 red, white and blue lights making up the US flag measuring 8 by 14 feet and a large painting of the Admiral with a big WELCOME HOME sign, George couldn't have been more happy I'm sure. When night fell, the fireworks began and they were made to spell out messages and symbols such as "Vermont Welcomes Her Hero Home", "Manila, May 1, 1898, Montpelier, October 12, 1899", "Good Night" and the Vermont state seal. A gigantic bonfire was also ignited on Capitol Hill behind the State House and could be seen for miles around.

Admiral George Dewey was an American hero, and to Vermonters, the day he returned home was just as important as the day he became a hero.