Tractors have always been an important part of Vashon. The use of tractors on the island has changed as the island transformed from a largely agricultural-based economy in the early 20th century to a service and commuter-based economy in the early part of the 21st century.

The first tractor arrived on Vashon in the 1890s. It was steam driven, with belt drives and large iron wheels. During the early 1900s to the 1970s, island farmers used tractors as all-purpose vehicles to work their commercial farms. Farmers depended on them, and a tractor was an essential tool for any Vashon farm.

Today, tractors are still an important part of Vashon, but the tractors and their uses have changed dramatically. Tractors are now powered by gasoline or diesel; they have central drive shafts, and the wheels are usually rubber tires on steel rims. Most tractors on the island are no longer used for commercial farming, but are used by commuters and retirees as a tool on their property or as a collector vehicle. The annual Strawberry Festival parade is a chance to see the wide variety of old and new tractors on the island when Vashon’s Old Tractor Society parades its tractors.

Should islanders need work done that can only be performed by a tractor, there are a number of working tractors available on the island. Bill Mann and others provided tractor work for farmers through much of the last half of the 20th century, and today there are at least a half-dozen others who advertise tractor services.

— Terry Donnelly is an island photographer, and Bruce Haulman is an island historian.

At top right, the first tractor on Vashon in a photo taken around 1890; bottom right, George Nelson drives his tractor in a Strawberry Festival parade.