Steam-powered threshers revolutionized agriculture as farmers began transitioning from horses to steam power. A crew using one of these machines could process a harvest in days rather than weeks. There was, however, a significant problem: the machines were dangerous.
Unfortunately, accidents were not uncommon. In 1894, a threshing machine on a farm in Pembina County exploded, killing six men. In a single year, 1899, fifty North Dakota field hands were killed in threshing accidents. Every harvest season brought reports of injuries and deaths, and North Dakota newspapers reported these tragedies year after year.
There was no requirement that the machines be inspected regularly. With heavy use, they gradually deteriorated. Extreme heat caused the metal to thin and the rivets to loosen. The result was tragedy.
The danger was recognized early on, and a solution was proposed to the state legislature in 1899. A bill was introduced that would require inspections of the boilers on steam threshers. While some accidents were caused by operator error, most serious accidents resulted from boiler explosions.
When the bill came before the legislature, Representative McHarg moved to indefinitely postpone the vote, saying the bill would do no good. Representative Sanford argued that it would provide some protection, pointing to examples of explosions caused by faulty boilers. Some representatives primarily blamed the engineers, arguing that a boiler could pass inspection one day, only to be blown up by an engineer the next.
The result was that the proposed bill requiring inspections was tabled indefinitely. The accidents continued. Some were indeed caused by operator error or carelessness on the part of those working near the machinery.
On this date in 1911, the Bismarck Tribune reported the death of a Glen Ullin farmer in a threshing accident after he became caught in the machinery.
In 1953, the North Dakota Legislature finally addressed the problem by requiring inspections of boilers on steam threshers, as well as other equipment, such as hot-water heating boilers. Today, there are 51 historical boilers in the state, including several steam threshers. The inspection program is overseen by the Department of Environmental Quality.
Dakota Datebook written by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Bismarck Tribune. “Terrible Death of Glen Ullin Man.” Bismarck ND. 11/9/1911. Page 2.
- Bismarck Tribune. “The Appropriations.” Bismarck ND. 3/9/1899. Page 2.
- North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality. “Boiler Inspection Program.” https://deq.nd.gov/Director/BIP/Accessed 10/13/2026.
- Farming Machinery US. “Steam Threshing Killed 50 North Dakota Farmers in a Single Season — Then Nothing Changed.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZfVoEoJ4YwAccessed 10/13/2026.
