[wdfifteen]

I'm sure you'll have fun. South Dakota was the region of the huge Bonanza farms of the 19th century. That is where the need for steam power and the men able to provide it found common ground. They had the most powerful traction engines and widest separator cylinders outside of California.
I am a little young to have experienced the heyday of farm steam power, but I go to a lot of steam shows. Steam engineers were regarded as superior beings 120 years ago. Only a few knew the inner workings of a steam traction engine, and those who did were greatly revered
. It is still part magic and part science.
It was hard work to keep a head of steam up for a big separator (called "threshing machine" by city folk). A 36 x 60 separator would challenge the best steam traction engine. I worked as the fireman on one for a setting (one farm). When the firebox is open it is sucking air so you need to keep it closed as much as possible, but you have to open it to add coal. When you open it and throw in your shovel of coal you scan the bed of coals for dark areas. Next time you open the door you know right where to throw the next shovel full on the dark area, but you are hardly looking at it land because you looking for the next dark spots in the coal bed to toss the next shovel full in. It gets old after about 8 hours, but it's history and I love reliving it.
A good operator can make a threshing rig sing like a giant sewing machine , but a bad one can turn it into a disaser.