http://www.agsem.com/star.html

Our Star was transferred from Boulder City Museum the agreement signed on April 13, 1999. The following information reported by Steam Team member Scott Higgins: Estimate manufactured time: 1890-1915. Self-propelled model, other models were horse drawn. As of October 1999 there were three other Star Drilling rigs known to exist in USA. One belonging to the Robinson family at the Great Oregon Steamup in Brooks OR. Another at the Coolspring Power Museum in Coolspring PA. The third is somewhere near Klamath Falls OR, and is reported to be not restored. There is no additional information from Boulder City Museum on where the piece spent its life or where it came from. Measurements of piece of equipment: 7 feet, 3 inches -- 2.21 meters -- wide.
8 feet, 8 inches -- 2.642 meters -- high.

Our Star is stored indoors, protected from the elements, in a corner of our Steam Tractor Barn. The original 4.5 inches -- 11.43 centimeters by 12 inches -- 30.48 centimeters -- white oak main frames, 22 feet -- 6.706 meters -- long, had sagged a LOT. Dale Lytle - picture bottom of this page -- jacked it up level and supported the frame at various places along its length. The boiler and other parts have been removed, but are carefully stored right alongside or beneath our Star. Our Steam Team does a superlative job maintaining our active steamers to the highest professional standards. Our Steam Team has a 1909 Museum owned 20 hp CASE under active restoration. A very rough shape 25 hp Russell Portable and a Steam Road Roller are ahead of the Star, in our Steam Teams restoration queue. Below pictures unloading our Star the day Virgil hauled it in. Our Lorain Moto Crane operated by Virgil White was used to unload our Star.

Top left: That blue low boy is owned by Virgil White. If you look around our pages you will find Virgil helps our Museum in other ways too. Registered as Antique Vehicles, Virgils old Autocar semi-tractor and this trailer are usually kept at our Museum. Virgil also has a flat bed trailer, and a modern -- only 26 years old -- International cab over 'go-get'um' Roll Back. Top right: Museum Volunteer Jim Church in jeans, I do not know who that fellow is in yellow.

Top right: Lorain Moto-Crane. Note the stout outrigger. No fancy hydraulics here. These are strictly man powered. Virgil says if you do not grease them those outriggers rust into place. If you do grease them the wind drives dirt into every nook and crannie, so they are still hard to muscle out into position. One of we old men CAN wrestle that steel base plate into place. But it is a LOT easier for two of us. Then crank that thick acme thread screw with a bar. Below left & right: Lift drill rig, pull trailer out from beneath.

Top left: Spin the drill rig around 180 degrees while on the hook, then set it down. We used a portable gasoline powered air compressor to operate the steam engine and drove this self powered rig backwards into our Steam Tractor Barn   Top right: Museum Volunteer Clem Patzloff in bib overalls, Steam Engine Row boss Chuck Goebel in the white hard hat. Dale Lytle, pictured below left, who operated one of these in oil fields when he was a kid, carefully blocked up the wooden frame, and dismantled portions. See what great Big Boys Toys we get to play with?

Left: Museum Volunteer Dale Lytle, right: Star No. 2 Drilling Machine