Volunteers prepare to roll out historic steam-powered machines for annual event

By JOHN SCHMITZ

For the Capital Press

BROOKS, Ore. -- More than 20,000 people are expected to attend as Antique Powerland Museums celebrate the 40th Great Oregon Steam-Up July 24-25 and July 31-Aug. 1.

A peek into the past to see how machinery operated decades ago, the event just north of Salem has become one of the most popular summer attractions in Oregon, organizers say.

"People tell us this is the best family event around," said Al Hall, Antique Powerland Museum's marketing director.

All 15 of Antique Powerland's museums will be open during the Steam-Up. Some will offer guided tours.

Each year the event features a different tractor manufacturer. This year, during the first weekend, Ferguson will be featured, with International Harvester in the limelight the next weekend. Owners of old Ferguson and I-H equipment are invited to bring in their machinery.

"Last year (when Caterpillar was featured) we had 105 Caterpillars on the ground," Hall said.

While vintage farm equipment has always been the centerpiece of the Steam-Up, the event features long gone and forgotten machinery from many fields such as forestry, fire fighting, trucking, automotive, electric railway and even motorcycles.

One of the more popular attractions is an operational, steam-operated sawmill that once processed logs without the use of electricity, computers and scanners.

Railroad buffs can visit the old Brooks train depot, which houses the Brooks Historical Society, and watch a railroad steam crane in action.

During the second weekend of the Steam-Up, the event will honor the Oregon National Guard with several pieces of military equipment and weaponry, including some old tanks, on hand.

Much of the equipment that has a permanent home at the site is operational, with some of the more unique pieces included in an hour-and-a-half parade that takes place every day of the Steam-Up at 1 p.m.

"That shows a sample of all the running equipment on the grounds," Steam-Up show manager Doug Delano said. "We have people calling all the time asking when the parade is."

In Antique Powerland's Large Engine Building sits the first stationary engine, which once powered Timberline Lodge. Other displays include a working engine that kept a large orange grove in Southern California supplied with water for 50 years.

Some of the oldest tractors, all steam-powered, include a Case built in 1880 and a 1913 Westinghouse vertical boiler tractor.

Some of the dozens of other events include a tractor pull, swap meet, trolley rides and logging demonstrations by local youth groups. "One of the things we have really emphasized here is our youth program," Delano said.

Antique Powerland and the Steam-Up are organized solely by volunteers.

Admission to the Steam-Up is $10 for adults, with a $2 discount for seniors over 65.

During the second weekend only, admission is free for all active members of the Oregon National Guard and their immediate families. Parking is free.