1837: In Grand Detour, Illinois, blacksmith John Deere hears farmers’ concerns that their plows, designed for the sandy soil of the eastern United States, aren’t shedding the thick prairie soil. In response, Deere fashions a highly polished steel mold board from a broken saw blade.
1848: After ten years in Grand Detour, John Deere forms a new partnership and moves to Moline, situated on the Mississippi River with water power and transportation options. His new state-of-the-art plow factory doubles production the next year.
1864: John Deere receives his first patent. It’s for the molds used in casting steel plows. Another is granted soon after, and a third in 1865.
1873: John Deere is elected mayor of Moline and serves two years. He is credited with driving infrastructure improvements such as streets, sidewalks, lighting and sewer.
1876: Deere registers the leaping deer trademark with the U.S. Patent Office. It is the longest continuously used American trademark among Fortune 500 companies.
1877: Deere & Mansur Company is formed in Moline to manufacture corn planters. A separate organization from the similarly named Kansas City branch, it will become part of Deere & Company in 1910. Today, planters are still made on the original site at John Deere Seeding, Moline, IL.
1886: Founder John Deere dies at the age of 82. Just a few months before, he tells someone that "during his long life it had been a great source of consolation to him to know that he had never willfully wronged any man and never put on the market a poorly made article."
Source: https://www.deere.com/en/our-company/history/
LOGGING REQUIREMENTS:
Spoiler logs, even if encrypted, and spoiler photos will be deleted.
We respectfully ask that you keep the logs and photos G-rated.
Found It logs will be deleted if posted without requirements completed.
It is not necessary to go inside any buildings to complete this cache.
Requirement #1: Go to N 41 30.458 W 90 31.100. Include your GPS (or some other proof of your presence) in a photo of the deer (the animal, not the machinery). No need to climb on the landscaping or the deer. Post the photo on the cache page with your Found It log.
Requirement #2: Go in the area of N 41 30.448 W 90 31.053 and find this fixture on the SE side of the building.
What are the eight letters in the green area?
Send the answer through email on our profile page. Please do not send photos of your answer through the Message Center.
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.