WMSTR, Annual steam engine festival in Rollag, Minnesota, US
The Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion is an annual festival displaying working steam engines, tractors, and farm equipment across spacious grounds. The site features a train circuit and operating sawmills where visitors can watch different machines in action.
The festival started in 1954 as a small gathering of farmers demonstrating threshing and has grown into a major event over the decades. Early editions added more machines and demonstrations, shaping it into its current form.
Local volunteers operate the historical machines and share knowledge about how farming and craftsmanship worked in the past. Visitors can watch people demonstrate the skills and techniques that farmers once relied on daily.
The grounds are easy to navigate on foot during the festival, with marked paths between the different machinery demonstrations and ride areas. It helps to wear comfortable shoes and allow plenty of time to see all sections and ongoing demonstrations.
A restored SOO LINE train pulls visitors around the grounds and ranks among the oldest working steam locomotives in the region. Additionally, two active sawmills actually produce wood products during the event.
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