M. Rumely Co. Poster

La Porte County Historical Society, Inc.

M. RUMELY CO. POSTER

One of the foundation stones of early LaPorte County industry was the M. Rumely Company. Meinrad Rumely came to America from Germany in 1848, and in 1853 he opened a blacksmith shop in LaPorte. Besides repair work, he and his brother John produced a new and improved plow and machinery for making sorghum molasses.

In 1853 they began producing grain separators, winning 1st place prize at the 1859 Illinois State Fair. By 1869, Rumely employed 35 people making boilers, traction engines, and harvesting equipment. In 1909, the "OilPull" kerosene-fired tractor was first sold. This was a major sales success, and "OilPulls" were shipped around the world.

The photograph shows part of the museum display on the Rumely Company and its successor, the Allis-Chalmers corporation which bought out the ailing Rumely Company in 1931. Allis-Chalmers produced the All-Crop combine in LaPorte, along with other harvesting equipment. At one time, 3,200 people were employed by Allis-Chalmers. Changing financial conditions brought about the closing of the LaPorte plant in 1983.

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Updated June 1, 2001