25 HP Advance Rumely

In 1911, the M. Rumely Company bought both the Advance Thresher Company as well as Garr-Scott & company. Four years later, the company was organized under the name Advance-Rumely. This steam traction engine was built in 1917 and is one of only 11 that are known to be in existence.

The engine was purchased for $400 by Elmer Skuey of the Osakis, MN area. He also purchased a separator for $400 at the same time. It was used for general threshing and sawmill work. The Little Sauk Creamery and Gatches Grove Creamery used it when their boilers broke down. It was also used to heat gravel for a St. Paul school in Sauk Centre, MN.

Peter Flom from Henning, MN purchased the engine from Elmer Skuey. George Melby, one of the LRPTA show founders, purchased the engine from Flom. It was owned for a period of years by George and Ralph Melby.

The engine then passed to Dale and Kathy (Melby) Akerman. It then passed to Richard and David Akerman who owned it for many years. It is currently owned and operated by Richard Akerman.