Document 1: The Manny Reaper

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Document 1 The Manny Reaper Jon W. Lundin,
Rockford, An Illustrated History (Chatsworth, CA
Windsor Publications, Inc., 1989), 44,46.
Mannys move to the Water Power District was
the most important event in the early history of
Rockford manufacturing. Because of him, the new
hydraulic became an credible enterprise, and a
number of jobbers were attracted to the city to
produce parts for his reaper.
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Document 2 Of Swedes and Industry Federal
Writers Program of Illinois, Rockford, Illinois
(Rockford, IL Graphic Arts Corp., 1941), 50-51.
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Document 3 The Co-operative Idea Eugene Brown
and Ford Rowe. Industrial and Picturesque
Rockford. (Rockford, IL Forest City Publishing
Company, 1891), 65.
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Document 4 What Rockford Makes Eugene Brown
and Ford Rowe. Industrial and Picturesque
Rockford. (Rockford, IL Forest City Publishing
Company, 1891), 65.
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Document 5 Industrial Statistics Chart
(1899-1941) Philip Ritzlin, Rockford, Illinois
A Study of the Growth and Development of a City.
1942, 9.
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Document 6 A short list of Rockford Businesses
from 1912 and their pictures. Rockford Morning
Star. Rockford, 1912. (Rockford, IL The Rockford
Morning Star, 1912), 38.
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Document 7 Employment Philip Ritzlin,
Rockford, Illinois A Study of the Growth and
Development of a City. 1942, 12.
Document 5 is figure III, page 9.
Right A Tarkington Automobile, the only
Rockford-built Automobile. (1920s) Jon W.
Lundin, Rockford, An Illustrated History
(Chatsworth, CA Windsor Publications, Inc.,
1989), 107.
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Document 8 Rockford Standard Furniture
Phonebook Advertisement Winnebago County,
Illinois Farm Directory. (G.F Engston Cherry
Valley, 1949).
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Document 9 125 Million Trade Links Community,
Auto Industry. Robert Monahan, 125 Million
Trade Links Community, Auto Industry.
Register-Republic, 11 May 1959.
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Document 10 Business and IndustryHome Town
Genius at Work Hal C. Nelson, Sinnissippi Saga
a History of Rockford and Winnebago County,
Illinois (Rockford, IL Winnebago County
Sesquicentennial Committee, 1968), 137, 147.
Often the tools they Rockfordians invented
helped to make the job easier, the output more
plentiful and provided job opportunities for
others. For money they used their savings,
mortgaged their homes or persuaded others to
invest in their business. Rockford has its
industrial giants. There are small companies,
too, where people with vision, faith, talent and
productivity have contributed to the communitys
economic progress. With more than 600
factories, producing thousands upon thousands of
different products, Rockford is one of the most
diversified manufacturing centers in the nation.
It has a reputation for machine tools, hardware,
farm implements, appliances, Automotive
accessories, aircraft parts, furniture,
fasteners, paint and containers. Although
designated the Forest City by a correspondent
of the New York Tribune who visited Rockford in
1853, the community could have easily worn the
nickname Reaper City, Furniture City or
Machine Tool City had it allowed one industry
to dominate its destiny. Instead, Rockford and
Winnebago County constitute a progressive,
diversified manufacturing area whose resources
and achievements in research, engineering and
productivity make it one of the nations
industrial stalwarts.
Right Cideo Mill Gang, photographed in 1893.
Manufactured steel center neck yokes for two
horse carriages and wagons Nelson, 147.
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Document 11a Percentage of Total Reported
Employment Graph Office of Economic Opportunity
Information Center, Community Profile (Winnebago
County, IL City Council Planning Commission,
1970), 15.
Above Bergstrom Manufacturings fabrication
department. Jon W. Lundin, Rockford, An
Illustrated History (Chatsworth, CA Windsor
Publications, Inc., 1989), 186.
() On the chart denotes a 0-1 Percent of
Rockfords economy.
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Document 11b Distribution of Employment in
Winnebago County Report Office of Economic
Opportunity Information Center, Community Profile
(Winnebago County, IL City Council Planning
Commission, 1970), 17.
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Document 12 New York Times article about
Rockfords economy in 1982 N. A., Rockford and
Its 19 Jobless Struggling to Survive. New York
Times, 30 August 1982, sec. A, 10.