LINK-BELT SPEEDER CORPORATION Cover Photo Link-Belt Speed Corporation Plan Administrative Offices Looking Southeast December 1948
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LINK-BELT SPEEDER CORPORATION Cover Photo Link-Belt Speed Corporation Plan Administrative Offices Looking Southeast December 1948. (Courtesy of Carl & Mark Koehler History Center) HISTORY OF LINK-BELT SPEEDER CORPORATION by Eric Barr THE Louis Berger Group, INC. Designed by To The Letter Type & Design, Marion, Iowa Printed by J&A Printing, Hiawatha With special thanks to: The Carl and Mary Koehler History Center Maryls Svendsen, Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management This project was produced under the terms of a Memorandum of Agreement pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, among the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency, the State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, the City of Cedar Rapids, Cedar Rapids Historic Preservation Commission, and Preservation Iowa, regarding adverse effects to historic properties in Cedar Rapids, Linn County, Iowa. FEMA administered Federal disaster assistance through FEMA’s Public Assistance Program pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act for the demolition of historic properties damaged as a result of flooding in July 2008 that resulted in declared disaster DR-1763-IA. 2 HISTORY OF LINK-BELT SPEEDER CORPORATION The Link-Belt Speeder Corporation factory Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad. The company originated as the Ewart complex manufactured cranes, power The facility served as the administrative Manufacturing Company in 1874, in shovels, excavators, draglines, hoes and headquarters and primary factory for the Belle Plaine, Iowa. Two other companies pile drivers with multiple applications company’s heavy machinery division. were formed later, Link-Belt Machinery in a variety of industries that used heavy When completed in 1948, the new build - Company (1880) and Link-Belt Engineer - machinery in their operations. Between ing complex was the largest facility of its ing Company (1888). These three com- 1939 and 1986, the company owned and kind. The corporation became a leader panies combined in 1906, to form the operated a plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in the United States for the production of Link-Belt Company. George T. Ronk at 1201 6th Street SW along the Chicago, heavy equipment used in road building, formed a contemporary company called construction, industrial plants, mining, Speeder Machinery Company in Leon, railroads, utilities, scrapyards, logging, Iowa, in 1919. Link-Belt Speeder quarries, pipelines, and general material- Corporation formed in 1939 when Link- handling operations. With a reputation for Belt Company purchased and merged production and dependability, Link-Belt with the Speeder Machinery Company, Speeder Corporation became particularly to form a wholly owned subsidiary known for its line of cranes. Its flagship based in Cedar Rapids. The Good Roads model for over 42 years was the LS-98 Movement and the National Highways Clamshell Crane with trademarked Movement impacted Link-Belt Speeder’s Speed-O-Matic power hydraulic controls. development by helping to enhance the The facility manufactured nearly 30,000 market for their products starting in Link-Belt cranes over 47 years of opera - the late nineteenth century. Figure 2. 1877 photo showing building in Belle Plaine, Iowa, tions in Cedar Rapids. where William Dana Ewart invented the link-belt in 1874. From Cedar Rapids Gazette, March 10, 1940. HISTORY OF LINK-BELT SPEEDER CORPORATION 3 CEDAR RAPIDS: Figure 3. First Link-Belt Co. steam powered, wide-gauge, “THE ROAD MACHINERY CAPITAL” coal handling clamshell crane. Circa 1894. From cover of "Continuous Innovation… For Over 118 Cedar Rapids was one of the three largest Works, Iowa Manufacturing Company, Years," Link Belt Construction Equipment Co. Brochure, September 1991. manufacturing centers of road-building Universal Crusher Company, LaPlant- equipment in the United States in the Choate Manufacturing Company, and early years of the twentieth century, along Link-Belt Speeder Company. Link-Belt with Peoria, Illinois, and Milwaukee, Speeder Company manufactured road Wisconsin, leading Howard Hall to call it building equipment that included cranes the “road machinery capital of the world.” 1 power shovels, excavators, draglines, hoes The city’s prominence as a road-manufac - and pile drivers. These products were turing center attracted 108 foreign engi - also used in a variety of other industries neers to the city in 1947, as they studied as heavy material-handling equipment. the latest developments in engineering Cedar Rapids’ road machinery companies and road-building equipment during a developed and took advantage of markets tour of the U.S. 2 During the first half of provided by the Good Roads Movement the twentieth century, five road machin - and the National Highways Movement. ery manufacturing companies called Figure 4. Early Speeder Model B Shovel Crane produced Cedar Rapids home: Iowa Steel & Iron at the Fairfield, Iowa Speeder plant in 1922. From Link-Belt Cranes Booklet circa 1985, p. 19. (Courtesy of Carl & Mary Koehler History Center). 4 HISTORY OF LINK-BELT SPEEDER CORPORATION GOOD ROADS AND THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY MOVEMENT The evolution of the national unpaved dirt roads that were Albert Pope, a member of the highway movement started with poorly maintained. Rural and LAW’s executive committee and the Good Roads Movement farm populations proved reluctant a bicycle manufacturer, founded (1880-1920), followed by federal to the idea of funding rural high - the National League for Good legislation and state efforts that ways because they did not see Roads (League) as an interstate culminated with passage of the how they would benefit—they lobbying organization in 1892 Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. viewed the funding as just another with its first convention held in The Good Roads Movement tax burden. Jeremiah W. Jenks, a St. Louis, Missouri the same year. began in 1880 as an effort by the critic of rural roads, stated that In 1892 the League began pub - League of American Wheelmen the “result [of poor rural roads] to lishing Good Roads Magazine (LAW) to fight for better roads farmers and the rural population and had chapters in each state. and streets for bicyclists. In was a constant sea of mud, soft A convention of 38 states in 1890 America’s population of surfaces, impediments to travel Chicago formed the National 62,947,714 was serviced by that in fact reduced their ability Good Roads Association in 1900. 2,000,000 miles of roads. 3 Two out to communicate with their The National Grange and Populist of every three people lived in rural neighbors or move their goods movements also provided support areas, and many of the roads were to market.” 4 for Good Roads. Both of these HISTORY OF LINK-BELT SPEEDER CORPORATION 5 movements worked to improve cated long-distance roads ver - from “roads beginning mation on road-building tech - the social and economic con- sus those pushing for farm-to- nowhere, ending nowhere.” 5 niques, and the agency became ditions of farmers and other market roads. The first argued Davis proposed adopting a an advocate for mechanization. working-class people and that the federal government nationalized system. This sys - In 1912 Congress passed the fought monopolies such as should build, own, control, tem would span 50,000 miles, Post Roads Act. The legislation the railroads. The rise of the and maintain national roads follow uniform construction authorized a joint congression - automobile gave greater impe - using federal funds and directly and maintenance standards, al committee study that pro - tus to the movement as trucks hire engineers and other work - and feature a system of feeder vided federal aid for highways and cars came into popular ers to oversee and direct the roads in the form of state and authorized $500,000 for use. Advocates argued that projects. The other called for highways and local roads that an experimental program in poor roads led to massive federal aid to states and local would reach 60 percent of the which state and local govern - waste in money spent on governments, which would nation’s population directly. 6 ments willing to pay two-thirds repairs and hindered economic oversee the building and of the cost of a postal road growth by making it difficult improvement of roads (federal- In 1893 the United States improvement project could to get from farm to market. aid system). President Charles Department of Agriculture cre - receive federal funds. The act They also argued that im - Henry Davis of the National ated the Office of Road Inquiry was a compromise between proved roads would help Highways Association (NHA) to study and disseminate infor - farmers wanting federal fund ing make travel faster and more advocated for the former in pleasant as well as bringing 1913. Davis founded the NHA more amenities to rural areas. in 1911 and incorporated it Supporters all shared the same in Washington, D.C., in 1912, goal of better roads but lacked with the slogan “Good Roads Figure 5. consensus on the best route Everywhere.” He argued that Speeder for making it a reality. adoption of the federal-aid Machinery scheme would lead to a hap - crane unloading Two schools of thought hazard array of standards for dirt into back of truck. Circa competed over how best to road construction and mainte - 1926. (Courtesy approach improving roads in nance. He further argued that of Iowa the United States that created a it would and create a confusing Department of gap between those who advo - network of roads resulting Transportation, Photo ID. HA1.011.0261.) 6 HISTORY OF LINK-BELT SPEEDER CORPORATION cost could not exceed $10,000 per mile, roads in what was termed the “golden age and the states were required to maintain of road building” in the 1920s. 9 During the the roads. In 1919 Dwight D. Eisenhower, Great Depression a series of grants were as an Army captain, embarked on a cross- authorized to the states without a match country tour of military vehicles that requirement to stimulate the economy impressed upon him the importance of and help stave off some of the effects of Figure 6.