At beginning of the 20th century Central Valley farmers had a problem. Giant steam tractors had replaced teams of horses, making farming at scale much more efficient. But those big tractors were heavy. In the rich, moist soil along the San Joaquin River Delta, they would get stuck in the mud or compact the soil. Enter two men – Benjamin Holt and C.L. Best. Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, we learn how they teamed up to create one of the largest corporations in the U.S.
Holt and Best had a complicated relationship and rivalry. Both headed farm machinery companies, with Holt based in Stockton and Best based in San Leandro. In 1904, Holt developed the first viable tractor that was propelled by tracks instead of wheels. Best’s father David owned critical patents for tractor technology, and in 1908 Holt bought David Best’s company.
The younger C.L. Best quickly setup a new firm and began making his own crawlers. Best called his tractor the Tracklayer, while Holt called his The Caterpillar. Best’s company specialized in serving the agricultural market while Holt secured government contracts in World War I and specialized in larger machines. Along the way, his crawlers helped inspire the development of the military tanks.
The end of World War I brought with it a recession and the end of a lucrative line of business for Holt’s company. In 1925 Holt and C. L. Best merged to form the Caterpillar Corporation…born here in the San Joaquin Valley, and now the world’s largest builder of construction equipment.
