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All the United States South Dakota Kimball South Dakota Tractor Museum

South Dakota Tractor Museum

An impressive collection of farm equipment and other artifacts from life on the prairie.

Kimball, South Dakota

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Kate T
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A rainbow of tractor diversity!   kateinthemuseum / Atlas Obscura User
Assortment of tractors and a 19th-century prison cell.   kateinthemuseum / Atlas Obscura User
A cute red tractor.   kateinthemuseum / Atlas Obscura User
1930s steel-wheeled tractor with a crank so hard it could “break a man’s arm.”   kateinthemuseum / Atlas Obscura User
Exterior of one of the museum buildings.   kateinthemuseum / Atlas Obscura User
A treadmill for a sheep to power a dairy separator.   kateinthemuseum / Atlas Obscura User
Authentic prairie schoolhouse.   kateinthemuseum / Atlas Obscura User
Donated materials in the prairie schoolhouse.   kateinthemuseum / Atlas Obscura User
Feedsack secrets! Every prairie wife’s companion.   kateinthemuseum / Atlas Obscura User
Docent from the museum giving context for the hoosegow.   kateinthemuseum / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Though the humble tractor is the star and namesake of the South Dakota Tractor Museum, it isn’t the only attraction. Made up of a series of unassuming warehouses off of I-90 in Kimball, South Dakota, the museum contains an impressive collection of farm equipment and other donated objects with regional historical and cultural significance.

One can certainly trace the history of modern farming here—the museum contains everything from basic man-powered and horse-drawn plows to state-of-the-art tractors, combines, and hay-baling machines. Volunteers are on standby to walk visitors through the eclectic collection and point out the highlights including a hand cranked corn-kernel remover (which still works), hog oilers, a rare McCormick-Deering steel wheeled tractor from the 1930s (before rubber tires were used), and an entire jail cell from the 1800s. Visitors inevitably hear a lot of fantastically gruesome stories about how each piece of equipment caused bodily harm to someone's cousin, uncle, brother, or some other family member.

The museum also houses an authentic one-room schoolhouse that was painstakingly moved to and reconstructed on the property by volunteers. People from all over the state have donated desks, books, and other classroom items from their (or their grandparents’) time spent in rural one-room schools. In another building, there’s a collection of antique household and kitchen items that offer an idea of what prairie living was like in the early 1900s. The place is filled with old iceboxes, hand cranked washing machines, kerosene stoves, and those notorious exploding pressure canners.

Also worth noting is the museum's blacksmith shop, which is fully functional and gives demonstrations from time to time.

Related Tags

Niche Museums Farms Industrial Museums And Collections Museums Machines Jails Schools Collections Technology Old West

Know Before You Go

The museum is easy to access from the highway. Definitely ask one of the wonderful volunteers to give you a tour, as the place is packed to the gills and not everything is labeled.

Community Contributors

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kateinthemuseum

Published

August 23, 2017

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Sources
  • http://www.southdakota.com/south-dakotas-great-places-south-dakota-tractor-museum/
  • http://www.aaa.com/travelinfo/south-dakota/kimball/attractions/south-dakota-tractor-museum-560753.html
  • http://local.aarp.org/place/south-dakota-tractor-museum-kimball-sd.html
South Dakota Tractor Museum
117 Cemetery Road
Kimball, South Dakota
United States
43.736313, -98.959638
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Nearby Places

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of South Dakota

South Dakota

United States

Places 59
Stories 7

Nearby Places

Dignity of Earth and Sky

Chamberlain, South Dakota

miles away

Shakespeare Garden & Anne Hathaway Cottage

Wessington Springs, South Dakota

miles away

The Corn Palace

Mitchell, South Dakota

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of South Dakota

South Dakota

United States

Places 59
Stories 7

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