It worked like magic, and other blacksmiths followed suit to such an extent that the demand for old saws became brisk.

Then came John Deere, a native of Vermont, who settled first in Grand Detour, and then in Moline, Illinois.

Deere made wooden ploughs faced with steel, like other blacksmiths, but was not satisfied with them and studied and experimented to find the best curves and angles for a plough to be used in the soils around him.

His ploughs were much in demand, and his need for steel led him to have larger and larger quantities produced for him, and the establishment which still bears his name grew to large proportions.
Another skilled blacksmith, William Parlin, at Canton, Illinois, began making ploughs about 1842, which he loaded upon a wagon and peddled through the country.

Later his establishment grew large.