cool photo from Kinsey, the logging photographer, of a plank road, a dump truck, a steam shovel, and a truck with TrublPruf tires

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/341211-period-images-to-relieve-some-of-the-stress/page/463/

https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2017/05/steve-finds-darndest-things-trublpruf.html

I never heard of the HG Fenton company until this past month...

He began his working life as a poor, seven-year-old ranch hand in the San Pasqual Valley. He amassed a fortune by taking on large contracts for public improvements, related to streets, jetties and even the Tijuana Racetrack.

As a young man, he came to the San Diego area and homestead a track of land at San Pasqual. There he met Arnold Babcock, older son of Elisha S. Babcock Jr., builder of the Hotel del Coronado, who introduced him to his father.

 Elisha Babcock gave Fenton a job driving a hunting coach to North Island and Point Loma. Fenton received rapid promotion and was placed in charge of the hotel’s building operations, which included the Western Salt Works at the head of San Diego Bay. Mr. Fenton entered into the construction business for himself in 1905 and was successful from the start. 

In 1905 he was made foreman of the Coronado Jetty construction project, and the profits from that set the HG Fenton construction company in business.

He worked for 18 months on the government jetty (Zuniga) off North Island. He was awarded the largest contract given out under the Vrooman Act doing all the street improvements west of Orange Avenue for a total cost of $324,000. which was completed in one year. He granted liberal discounts to the property owners for cash payment with the result that little of the cost went to bond.

Elisha Babcock and Heny Fenton remained close friends until Babcock’s death in September 1922. When Babcock was no longer able to manage his own affairs, Fenton bought the Western Salt Works and provided for the Babcocks for the rest of their lives.

He then purchased Jamul Ranch, which eventually became Eastlake. He owned a 3200 acre ranch at San Pasqual, and a 2000 acre ranch in Otay

Mr. Fenton also did much of the grading for the Tijuana Racetrack (circa 1915) using 20 muleteams. In 1915, Mr. Fenton secured a lease from A. Levi for a 9,000 acre ranch in Jamul where he raised cattle and beef for market. Mr. Fenton owned a 2,000 acre ranch at Bernardo (now Rancho Bernardo) where he specialized in alfalfa and dairy products. 

The HG Fenton Material Company was formed in 1928

the H.G. Fenton Co. evolved from salt and gravel mining operations that helped build Qualcomm Stadium to become one of San Diego County's largest real estate organizations with more than 3 million square feet of office and industrial space and 11 apartment communities totaling over 2,800 homes.

Henry Gilbert Fenton was born on 22 July 1872, in San Francisco, he married Emily Bowen in 1901. 

They lived in San Diego and Escondido. He died on 25 August 1951 at the age of 79

https://hgfenton.com/our-story/

https://docs.sandiego.gov/council_reso_ordinance/rao2006/R-301970.pdf

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/117372298/henry-gilbert-fenton

https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=CJ19840823.2.67&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------

https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-times-advocate-obituary-for-h-g/85448803/

And I find it suspicious that such a wealthy, historic, and company founder has no wikipedia page. Almost like the company that has his name doesn't want his thorough and complete history on a public website like wikipedia.  https://voiceofsandiego.org/2023/07/05/a-wealthy-familys-100-year-old-company-is-blocking-a-permanent-housing-project-for-homeless-people/

1910 rolling steam shovel

 https://www.shorpy.com/node/26504

baseball vs progress 1954, Norman Rockwell

Rockwell gathered up models for this scene in midwinter by knocking on doors (in Stockbridge, Mass.) and rousting up members of the Little League team. 

Tiny Scott Ingram is sucking his fingers as the negotiations proceed. The boy in the baseball suit is big brother, Kenneth Ingram.

https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2012/01/rockwell-fifties-part-iii/

For a good look at a LOT of Rockwell paintings, without buying a coffee table book, see https://totallyhistory.com/norman-rockwell-paintings his April Fools Day paintings were just terrific

I haven't posted Kinsey Brothers logging photos in a while

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/threads/half-track-dump-trucks.424344/

Allison transmission brochure art. I would paint these as murals on a construction company wall in a hot minute. Damn, I wish I'd had these as murals in my bedroom as a kid!

 

https://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/AT/id/9986/rec/263

just great colorized photo by Imbued With Hues

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=652835929543124&set=a.197924875034234

I've posted several of the Marion Steam Shovels, but I only just learned it was an offshoot of the Huber tractor business, and that Marion made the shuttle launch pad crawler

The Huber Manufacturing Company of Marion, Ohio was founded by Edward Huber in 1854. Born on a farm in Indiana in 1837, he apprenticed to a blacksmith in his teens and later became a machinist and a wagon maker. He invented a revolving hay rake and moved to Marion to produce it. 

Huber was a prolific inventor and would eventually be granted 100 patents. By 1875 the company had added threshers to it’s catalog and by 1898 it was producing a line of portable and traction steam engines. 

In addition to Huber Manufacturing, in 1884 he joined Henry Barnhart and George W. King to form the Marion Steam Shovel Company.

Between 1902 and 1911 the Marion Steam Shovel Co. provided 112 steam shovels to the Army Corp of Engineers for use in the construction of the Panama Canal. 

Marion products played an important role in the construction of railroads and highways, dredging harbors and waterways and mining operations throughout the 20th Century. They even made the launch pad crawler that was used for the moon missions and the Space Shuttle Program.

http://theironmule.blogspot.com/2016/10/huber-maintainer.html

steam shovel love from the Rollag Steam festival (better known as the Western Minnesota etc etc) from my sister who unexpectedly went to see it! So, thank you Niki!

Bill Rudicill's 1929 Bucyrus-Erie 50-B

mighty big steam shovels, thank you Terry for sharing!

 and since I'm probably calling them by the wrong name, just move along. I don't need nor want to be corrected and told these are drag lines, or whatever. I don't need to be an expert on them. I'm just appreciating that something as big as these were self sufficient, likely steam boiler powered, and somehow, the coal was carried up into these in enormous quantities to keep them running all damn day long. Again, if I'm wrong, just move along. I don't want a lesson, link, correction, etc. Go find some blogger that wants a mr know it all to chime in. I am not in the mood tonight, or tomorrow

Windsor McKay was one hell of a great artist, and came up with an amazing variety of characters, creatures, and vehicles from tractors, animal carts, steam shovels, to flying canoes

So, here's a Greased Lightning about 50 years prior to the one in the movie Grease. How about that?