Invention: Steel Plow Inventor: John Deere Year: 1837 Location: Illinois
Background: John Deere was a blacksmith from Illinois, who focused on creating goods such as horseshoes, and hayforks and other items that farmers needed to survive in prairie farm life. The prairie ground was harder to cultivate than the soil in the south and the farmers had a hard time plowing the land due to it being harder soil, packed closely together, and the soil was riddled with rocks. When the soil in the prairie had too much rain, the soil would become sticky and cling to the tools the farmers would use. Many farmers had to stop multiple times throughout the day to clean accumulated soil from their tools.
Deere saw the struggle the farmers faced and realized he could invent a tool that would better help the farmers living in the midwest (Louisiana Territory area) to be successful. Deere created a blade that would cut through the hard-packed soil easier by creating a harness that attached to an oxen or a horse. The animal would then walk the field while the farmer guided the plow across the land, while the scoop dug into the ground and tilled the soil.
Significance: The steel plow made farming easier and faster for those living in the midwest by being able to cut through the hard-packed prairie soil. The strength of the animal pulling the steel plow was greater than that of the farmers trying to till the land by hand, meaning the farmers were able to till more land at faster paces.