Thank you Mr. Beckwith!

Chuck Frederick, columnist for the Duluth News Tribune wrote an article on Feb. 24th about a man from Duluth who pioneered snow removal in 1927. He created what may have been the world's first auger-style snow-blower, the same technology used in today's push-behind models. He never got credit for it, he didn't know about patents back then. He put it in front of a four wheel drive St. Louis County truck, as he worked for the St. Louis Co. Hwy. Dept. His name was Ralph Beckwith. His son, Glenn Beckwith told the story of his Dad's invention. His contraption gained the attention of some men from Dubuque, Iowa, who traveled to Duluth to see it. They drew plans based on it so they could build their own. Read more about this on my Duluth News Tribune web site, and look up Chuck's column on Feb. 24 titled "Snowblowing Trailblazer". The above picture was taken in 1927 and contibuted by the Beckwith family.