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James B. Hill was born November 29, 1856, near Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio. He passed away in Raceland, Louisiana, in 1945. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File links Wikitext. ... is the 333rd day of the year (334th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Fremont is a city in Sandusky County, Ohio, United States. ... Sandusky County is a county located in the state of Ohio. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ...

James worked as a drainage tiler in northwestern Ohio in the 1870s and 1880s, during which time he devised a machine that he later named the Buckeye Traction Ditcher (U.S. Patent 523-790; July 31, 1894). The Buckeye allowed for the quick placement of drainage tiles to aid in cultivation. After ridding northwest Ohio of its Great Black Swamp, James’s invention, produced by the Buckeye Traction Ditcher Company of Findlay, Ohio, went on to drain large parts of Florida and Louisiana. is the 212th day of the year (213th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami metropolitan area Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ...

Finding his early machines bogged down by the mud of Louisiana, James designed wheels that could travel over soft, wet earth. He termed this style of wheel “apron traction,” and it became the forerunner for modern tank wheels (U.S. Patent 866-647; 24 September 1907). is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

James remained mentally active and creative throughout his life and spent his last years breeding new varieties of corn which could flourish in Louisiana, most notably Hill’s White Cob Yellow Dent.

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers designated an original Buckeye Steam Traction Ditcher as an "International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark" in 1988. This organization also maintains James's gravestone at Maple Grove Cemetery in Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio, on which a ditcher is engraved. An antique ditcher can be seen today at the Hancock County Historical Museum in Findlay, Ohio.

James and his first wife Ella MacDonald had 10 children. Near his death, he boasted of having more than 100 descendants.

External Links

http://www.heartlandscience.org/agrifood/ditcher.htm

http://www.asme.org/Communities/History/Landmarks/Buckeye_Steam_Traction.cfm

http://files.asme.org/ASMEORG/Communities/History/Landmarks/5509.pdf

Citations

(5 August 1988) Buckeye Steam Traction Ditcher. Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio, USA: The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 6. 

Hill, James B. (1945). Autobiography. Raceland, Louisiana, USA: James B. Hill, 200.