Historical Commission Corner

Published on August 26, 2025

Monster or machine; What lurks in Grasso Park?

A question often asked of Historical Commission docents at Grasso Park is “what the heck is that?” when visitors first see the big metal contraption near the new bike path. Second graders on field trips often compare it to a dinosaur or some other beast. Actually, it is a threshing machine once used in Boulder County wheat fields. The next question is usually, “what the heck is a threshing machine?” Sometimes called a “thrasher,” its basic purpose was to separate the wheat seeds from the stalks.

Large mettle thresher located in Grasso Park.

The example found in Grasso Park was pulled by a team of horses, steam powered tractor or later a gasoline fueled tractor. It was operated by a wheel and pulley system with a long leather belt connecting the thresher and the power source. The wheat, or other grain, was cut and then fed into the machine where it was beaten, causing the seeds to separate from the stalks.

A steam tractor powered the threshing machine; cook wagon to the right. Feeding threshers was a big job.

The wheat was then moved into a silo where it dried. Once dried, it was transported to a mill and ground into flour. The stalks would then be utilized as bedding for farm animals or baled into hay and fed to cattle, horses and other farm animals, providing a good source of roughage for them.

Threshers take a rest in front of their machine.

The Grasso Park thresher, donated to the Town of Superior by the Dougherty Historical Museum of Longmont, was manufactured under patents going back to 1895. Ours was most likely manufactured in the 1920s. In later years, the multi-functional combine machine replaced the thresher. Come on down to Grasso Park and see the threshing machine and other farm equipment, such as a hay rake and seed drill, on display there. Then you can decide, monster or machine?

Historical Commission news

People entering the rebuild Historical Museum in Asti Park.

The Historical Commission is planning a special event in Grasso Park emphasizing Superior’s agricultural history. More details to follow.

In the meantime, please come by the Asti Park Historical Museum (110 W. Maple St.) and the Grasso Park Interim Museum (122 E. William St.) between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. during our next open day on Saturday, Sept. 6.

Did you know that:

Before machinery, wheat was beaten by hand using wooden sticks called flails? The word flail came to be associated with the description of someone who waves their arms in a wild disorganized way: flailing about.
The expression “to give someone a thrashing” evolved from the beating process in thrashing grains?
The historic Bald Pate Inn near Estes Park is home to more than 12,000 keys? People from around the world have donated keys over the years and the collection includes one for George Washington’s headquarters and Adolph Hitler’s desk.
There is no front door key for the Bald Pate Inn?

Written by Larry Dorsey, edited by Susan Stanish and Jennifer Garner. Historic photographs courtesy of Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder.

For more information about the Historical Commission and its activities, contact Commission Liaison Jennifer “JG” Garner at 303-499-3675, ext. 167, Commission Co-Chair Larry Dorsey at 303-499-1969, or just click on the “Historical Commission Info” button below.