For sale is this very rare antique est 1910 RPPC real photo postcard showing an early farm tractor called the Great Western Farm Tractor No. T 101 made by Smith Mfg Company of Chicago IL Illinois. I spent quite a bit of time researching this unique post card and learned there are only a few known photos of this brand. This is a very rare photo that is still a great piece of early farm tractor history. I decided to reach out to a well known antique tractor guy Paul Searl and here’s info re the company. It’s a bit lengthy but really interesting history. I wrote an article about this a year or two ago in vintage tractor digest. This was an offshoot of Smith Mfg Co and production was to be in Harvy IL in 1910. The tractor was designed by Harry W Leavitt who had built a previous tractor and would work later on the waterloo boy designs. After a few name changes it became the Thomson-Breese. Weighing in at 8900 lbs, the Smith Auto Plow was not exactly a lightweight, but it was still on the lower end of the scale. The design of the Great Western Auto Plow was rather unique in that the right rear wheel was placed some 17 inches ahead of the left wheel, the idea being to cross furrows or gullies more evenly. It was also intended that with the attached 3-14’s plow and mechanical lift, that the right wheel would track evenly in the previous plow furrow. Impressively, it was advertised as 3-speeds forward and a reverse, an exception in 1910 when many tractors still had only a single speed. Power was supplied by a newly designed 2 cylinder opposed engine with a 7 inch bore and 10 inch stroke making 30 belt horsepower. According to the articles, this was a design of engine that would go into production at the Harvey plant separate from the Great Western line. From the photo, it is apparent it shares nothing in similarity with the valveless 2 cycle Great Westerns; nor with Haish’s soon to be introduced Chanticleer stationary engine design, a more standard throttle governed engine. So far, I have not tracked down an individual patent covering this engine design from any of the known participants in the company. No records of production exist; although one article makes mention of numerous tractors in use, it seems somewhat unlikely any substantial numbers were built. I have been told other photos exist but I have not seen them. Measures 5.5″ by 3.5″ in size, it was not mailed but has writing on back along with a name and address of S. Larsen of Lincoln Lake MI Michigan. Front has Street Car Bitely, MI. The card has excellent clarity and details but it does have wear and issues. Has numbers surface cracking that shows more when holding at angles under the light, has corner wear along with spotting along the top, but still shows well. Back has dust soil and spots.