Chris Cook – Forks Forum photo

Ted Spoelstra’s vintage tractors came to life on Saturday, Sept. 22 at his homestead north of Forks thanks to the know-how and effort of tractor buffs in from the Lynden area who are members of the Puget Sound Antique Tractor and Machinery Association, as  well as a knowledgeable tractor buff from the Olympic Peninsula Antique Tractor & Engine Association from the Bremerton area. Here Ted (center) watches his one-cylinder circa 1914 Rumely plowing tractor in action. The group is pictured along side two of Ted’s prize John Deere tractors. He has his hand on a John Deere Model GP which was modified and lowered by the Lindeman brothers in Yakima decades ago turning it into a “crawler” tractor to be used in Central Washington orchards; John Deere later bought the company. The wheeled John Deere Model D in the back was built in 1923 and is cited as the oldest known John Deere tractor restored and still in operating condition. Ted says the John Deere company has its eyes on the historic tractor. However, for now, he’s keeping the tractor and his collection in Forks. “The problem is I like them all,” Ted says of his passion for the tractors.