Moline Factory

John Deere moved his business to Moline Illinois in 1848 due to the availability of water, power, and transportation in order to grow his business.
In 1887 the Deere and Mansur Company was formed by Charles Deere and Alvah Mansur, soon becoming a top manufacturer of planters. Due to the success of the business, Deere and Mansur moved from a two-story building to a larger factory to increase production following increased sales.
Under the leadership of William Butterworth in 1913, John Deere began building harvesters in a new factory, John Deere Harvester Works, which still produces John Deere equipment.
While growing in Moline, John Deere also purchased the Waterloo Gas Engine Company in 1918 to enter the tractor business, and sold 5,634 tractors in it's first year.