Caterpillar Tractor Company

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The Caterpillar Tractor Company was formed in 1925 by the merger of the Holt Manufacturing Company of Stockton, California, and Peoria, Illinois, and the C.L. Best Tractor Company of San Leandro, California. In the years before World War I, Benjamin Holt invented the "caterpillar tractor," which moved on heavy, belted-metal tracks rather than wheels. The tracks prevented the vehicle from sinking in the mud. The Caterpillar Tractor Company mounted extensive marketing campaigns during the late 1920s and early 1930s. The company advertised products for a wide variety of industries, including farming, lumbering, quarrying, road building, and engineering.

From the description of Caterpillar Tractor Company Photographs, 1927-1932 (inclusive). (Harvard Business School). WorldCat record id: 50681111

The Caterpillar Tractor Company was formed in 1925 when the Holt Manufacturing Company of Stockton, California, and Peoria, Illinois, merged with the C.L. Best Tractor Company of San Leandro, California . In the years before World War I, Benjamin Holt invented the “caterpillar tractor,” which moved on heavy, belted-metal tracks rather than wheels. The tracks prevented the vehicle from sinking in the mud. Both the Holt and C. L. Best companies manufactured track-laying tractors for construction and earth moving, and Holt also made combined harvesters for farming use. The company grew steadily from 1925 to 1930. In 1928, Caterpillar Tractor Company added road-building equipment to its product line when it merged with the Russell Grade Manufacturing Company of Minneapolis. The Caterpillar Tractor Company’s headquarters were located in Peoria, Illinois.

Caterpillar Tractor Company mounted extensive marketing campaigns during the period documented by these photographs . The company advertised products for a wide variety of industries, including farming, lumbering, quarrying, road building, and engineering. Caterpillar commissioned photographs of its equipment at work for use in a variety of advertisements and other publications. Caterpillar Tractor Company donated these promotional photographs to Harvard Business School in 1932 for use in the classroom and for display in Baker Library .

From the guide to the Caterpillar Tractor Company Photograph Collection, 1927-1932, (Baker Library, Harvard Business School)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Caterpillar Tractor Company. Operator's Instructions and Maintenance Manuals, Tractors. University of Guelph. McLaughlin Library
referencedIn Wilmington Trust Company. Trust Dept. Investment analysis files ("C"), 1909-1959 (bulk 1931-1954). Hagley Museum & Library
creatorOf Caterpillar Tractor Company. Service and Maintenance brochures and Service Bulletins, Tractors. University of Guelph. McLaughlin Library
referencedIn Minnesota War History Committee. Collected research materials, [1940s]. Minnesota Historical Society, Division of Archives and Manuscripts
creatorOf Caterpillar Tractor Company. Trade catalogs, 1928-1952. Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Hahn (Stanley C.) Collection, 1933-1979, bulk 1935-1937 San Joaquin County Historical Society and Museum
creatorOf Caterpillar Tractor Company. "Caterpillar" Thirty Tractor. University of Guelph. McLaughlin Library
creatorOf Caterpillar Tractor Company. Trade catalogs of heavy equipment and machinery, 1907-1973. University of California, Santa Barbara, UCSB Library
referencedIn Westmont Tractor Company records, 1931-1981 University of Montana--Missoula Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library Archives and Special Collections
referencedIn Latta, Frank Forrest, 1892-. Frank F. Latta Collection: Skyfarming, 1802-1982 (bulk) 1860-1975. Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens
creatorOf TCG Materials Limited. Miscellaneous Newsletters. University of Guelph. McLaughlin Library
referencedIn Agricultural Technology Manuals Collection, 1893-2000 San Joaquin County Historical Society and Museum
creatorOf Starr, Oscar L. Oscar L. Starr papers, 1910-1967. UC Berkeley Libraries
referencedIn Jacobs, Elmer, 1900-. Elmer Jacobs papers, 1925-1982. Newberry Library
creatorOf General Motors Corporation. Product Data, Caterpillar, Euclid and Allis-Chalmers Tractors and Crawler Tractors. University of Guelph. McLaughlin Library
creatorOf Caterpillar Tractor Co. Photoprints National Museum of American History (U.S.). Archives Center
creatorOf Caterpillar Tractor Company Photograph Collection, 1927-1932 Baker Library, Harvard Business School
referencedIn Beall, Lester, 1903-1969. Lester Beall papers, 1911-1984 (inclusive), 1933-1969 (bulk) RIT Library, Wallace Library
referencedIn Wharton School. Industrial Research Unit. Records, 1941-2001 (bulk, 1968-1988). Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Towmotor Corp. Towmotor Corporation records, 1915-1977. Western Reserve Historical Society, Research Library
creatorOf A/S Frichs. Trade catalogs of engines, 1949-1954. University of California, Santa Barbara, UCSB Library
creatorOf Caterpillar Tractor Company. Product Data for Sales Training and Development, Tractors, Caterpillars, Tractor Shovels. University of Guelph. McLaughlin Library
creatorOf Caterpillar Tractor Company. Caterpillar 20 records, [1928]. University of California, Davis, Shields Library
referencedIn The Nation, records, 1879-1974 (inclusive), 1920-1955 (bulk). Houghton Library
referencedIn A. C. Kern Collection, 1927-1939, 1935-1939 San Joaquin County Historical Society and Museum
creatorOf Blaw-Knox Co. Trade catalogs of heavy equipment and machinery, 1884-1973. University of California, Santa Barbara, UCSB Library
creatorOf Caterpillar Tractor Company. Caterpillar Tractor Company Photographs, 1927-1932 (inclusive). Harvard Business School, Knowledge and Library Services/Baker Library
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Beall, Lester, 1903-1969. person
associatedWith Caterpillar corporateBody
associatedWith C.L. Best Tractor Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Davenport, D. H. (Donald Hills), 1896- person
associatedWith Davenport, Donald H. 1896- person
associatedWith Holt, Benjamin. person
associatedWith Holt, Benjamin, 1849-1920 person
associatedWith Holt Manufacturing Company. corporateBody
associatedWith Jacobs, Elmer, 1900- person
associatedWith Kern, Andrew Clarence, 1906-1979 person
associatedWith Latta, Frank Forrest, 1892- person
associatedWith Minnesota War History Committee. corporateBody
associatedWith Nation (New York, N.Y. : 1865). corporateBody
associatedWith San Joaquin County Historical Society and Museum person
associatedWith Starr, Oscar L. person
associatedWith Towmotor Corp. corporateBody
associatedWith University of California, Davis. Library. corporateBody
associatedWith Westmont Tractor Company corporateBody
associatedWith Wharton School. Industrial Research Unit. corporateBody
associatedWith Wilmington Trust Company. Trust Dept. corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Peoria (Ill.)
Peoria, Illinois.
Subject
Advertising photography
Agricultural machinery
Agricultural machinery
Agriculture machinery
Bulldozers
Caterpillar tractors
Commercial photography
Construction equipment
Construction equipment industry
Crawler tractors
Diesel motor
Diesel motor
Earthmoving machinery
Farm equipment
Photography, Industrial
Marine diesel motors
Road machinery
Tracklaying vehicles
Tractor industry
Tractors
Tractors
Occupation
Activity

Corporate Body

Active 1907

Active 1973

Information

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