For more than two decades, Alan Schurman’s famous Iron Ranch wowed people of all ages with its extensive collection of historic machinery and relics of a now-passed industrial age. The Rural Heritage Fair has drawn thousands of visitors to this sprawling property over the years to check out vintage cars, decades-old farm equipment and hundreds of other oddities.
That era, however, has come to an end. Schurman died in February. He was 76 years old.
“In restoring old tractors, Alan’s skills were legendary; both as an engineer, and as a machinist and welder,” reads Schurman’s obituary at Evergreen Memorial Gardens. “He was loved and deeply appreciated by those that knew him, and respected by all who shared his passion for old machinery.”
And to those who do share that passion, now’s the opportunity to start or add to a collection of your own. Schurman’s family is auctioning off most of the pieces, and welcomed people to the property on Saturday to take a look at what’s available.
On the Web: To participate in the Schurman Iron Ranch Collection Auction, visit www.aumannvintagepower.com. Lots will begin closing on Sept. 16.
Aumann Auctions, an Illinois-based company that specializes in vintage power, is conducting an online auction of more than 2,900 lots, likely containing more than 5,000 individual items.
“Alan’s collection is one you would think exceeds a normal collection,” said Jodi Reynolds, operations manager for the auction.
That’s one way to put it. Schurman’s collection is massive. Dozens of spark plugs fill glass display cases. Model cars line the walls of a large shop. Soda memorabilia, porcelain gas station signs and a neon flashing display reading “popcorn” are scattered around. Rusty gears, chains and other bits and bobs are piled atop pallets to be sold in heaps.
The tractors
Then, there’s the tractors. Oh, the tractors. Dozens of them, and other farm equipment, too, set out on the lawn for curious onlookers to consider.
And there’s the crown jewel of the collection: the great blue Corliss steam engine. The 600-horsepower device, named for inventor George Henry Corliss, was once used to power industrial logging activity. The engine would have powered five or six saws on top of other finishing machines in its heyday.
“We’ve had to peel back layer by layer, like an onion,” said Reynolds of the collection. “It’s overwhelming, what he had.”
Jason Morris and Melissa Merrell and their son, Archer, were perusing the grounds Saturday. The couple bought a small farm in the area recently, and like Morris puts it, it’s just begging to have “a rusty old piece of metal” on the property.
“To show off!” quipped Archer.
Morris has fixed up a few cars over the years, and Merrell’s on the hunt for an old-fashioned spinning wheel for her fiber arts.
They’d never been to the property before, but Morris was in awe of the size and scale of the collection.
“The gentleman must have been an amazing individual,” he said of Schurman.
Greg and Jody Wilcox, meanwhile, were on the hunt for a tractor or another piece of farm equipment. Greg Wilcox is a collector of farm equipment himself, and is looking to restore an old piece.
“It’s about getting that thing to turn on,” he said, motioning a key in an ignition. “It gives you a high, that’s for sure.”
The couple live in Longview, and Greg Wilcox grew up on a farm driving tractors himself. The way he puts it, with these old machines — built to last forever — you don’t truly own any of it. It owns you until it’s ready to be passed on to the next generation of collectors.
“We’re keeping history alive,” said Jody Wilcox.
