241 – R.G. LeTourneau
Mover of Mountains and Men
Billy Dennis: “This is the R. G. LeTourneau statue in Glen Oak Park, near the tennis courts. He built a tractor manufacturing plant at the site on North Adans in Averyville that Komatsu now uses.”
LeTourneau Technologies: “The LeTourneau name became synonymous with earthmoving worldwide. R. G. LeTourneau was largely responsible for the invention and development of many types of earthmoving machines that are in wide use today. He designed and built machines using technology that was years, and sometimes decades, ahead of his time, and became recognized worldwide as a leader in the development and manufacture of heavy equipment. The use of rubber tires in earthmoving; numerous improvements relating to scrapers; the development of low pressure heavy-duty rubber tires; the two-wheeled tractor unit (Tournapull); electric wheel drive, and mobile offshore drilling platforms, are all attributed to R. G. LeTourneau’s ingenuity. During his lifetime, he held hundreds of patents on inventions relating to earthmoving equipment, manufacturing processes and machine tools. His factories supplied 70 percent of all heavy earthmoving equipment used by the Allied armed forces during World War II. LeTourneau also pioneered numerous manufacturing processes and the development of specialized machine tools.”
TIME Magazine, Mar 25, 1940: “By 1932 his three-year-old firm of R. G. LeTourneau, Inc. was headed for the rocks after losing money on two big excavation contracts. His backers advised him to give up contracting, concentrate on manufacturing his dirt-moving machinery. He did. Three years later his profits had jumped 1,026% to $586,378 and he had put up another plant in Peoria, Ill., to be near big Caterpillar Tractor Co. which powered his machinery.”
June 16th, 2008 at 11:17 am
This is the R. G. LeTourneau statue in Glen Oak Park, near the tennis courts. He built a tractor manufacturing plant at the site on North Adans in Averyville that Komatsu now uses.
June 16th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
You’re all over that one, Billy!
June 16th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
I think it’s the first time I’ve got one right and be first in doing so. Woo Hoo!
August 13th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Mr. R. G. LeTourneau decided to come to Peoria from Stockton, CA after discussing the matter with Mr. Murray Baker, from Caterpillar. R. G. LeTourneau wanted to take advantage of being co-located to Caterpillar because he used their engines to power his equipment. Within just a few years time R. G. LeTourneau Inc. began to produce machines such as the bulldozer, scrapers of all sorts, dredgers, portable cranes, rollers, dump wagons and motor graders. His original factory was only 60’ x 300’ in size; it is the front of the white building along Iowa Street that says in large blue letters, “KOMATSUâ€.
R. G. LeTourneau was famous world-wide for “God runs my business,†in which he fully believed that God ran his business. His favorite verse from scripture was taken from the 6th chapter of Matthew, verse 33: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. This verse can not be viewed in this truncated photo, but it can be seen on the statue in Glen Oak Park, as well as the identical statue which stands on the campus of LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas: http://www.letu.edu/.
Allow me to establish the timeline for you.
1935: Mr. R.G. LeTourneau arrived and viewed swampland along Iowa Street as good ground to build a factory upon; founded R. G. LeTourneau Inc, began building scrapers and bulldozer attachments in a matter of weeks. He also used his scrapers to move earth from Glen Oak Park to his factory to expand the property eastward and eventually construct the levee.
1953: Westinghouse Air Brake Company purchased the business and renamed it LeTourneau – Westinghouse Company
1957: The first Haulpak off-highway truck, the LW 32, was produced
1968: Westinghouse completely bought out LeTourneau and formed the WABCO (Westinghouse Air Brake Company) Construction and Mining Group
1979: American Standard acquired the business
1984: Dresser Industries purchased business from American Standard
1988: Dresser Industries and Komatsu Ltd. formed a 50/50 joint venture, Komatsu- Dresser Company, of which Haulpak was a major division
1994: Komatsu purchased Dresser’s portion of the joint venture.
October 17th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
In preparing for a series of messages to my congregation here in Aloha, Oregon, on “What God Treasures”, I set out to use the great hub of Jesus’ teaching of principles for living – Matthew 6:33, “…seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” (NKJV). I needed to have a great illustration for the message and asked the Lord to help me find it. The name of R.G. LeTourneau came to my mind. As I read several articles online, I came across your site linking Mr. LeTourneau with Peoria. It caught my eye because in October 1992, after a year of preparation, I was the Crusade Director of the “Say Yes, Central Illinois” crusade with Evangelist Luis Palau and the wonderful leadership committee made up of business and church leaders in Peoria. I went on from working with Mr. Palau in 1994 to return to serve as a pastor here in Oregon. But the crusade for central Illinois, held in the arena there in Peoria was the greatest memory of my experience in mass evangelism. I have great memories of the warmth and close commraderie of the people I was privileged to work with in Peoria. And then to learn that Matthew 6:33 is the inscription on the statue of Mr. LeTourneau brings this bit of research to a blessed conclusion. I’m very thankful to have found your site today, October 17, 2008. May Peoria’s people and perseverance, like Mr. LeTourneau, help the nation bulldoze forward again.
Richard A. Marshall
Aloha, Oregon
November 17th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Rich, I just read LeTourneau’s autobiography, “Mover of Men and Mountains.” Wanted to learn more because I live in Peoria and I find this part of our local spiritual heritage fascinating. Was thrilled to learn you are the same Rich Marshall I enjoyed working with on the planning committee to help prepare for the crusade with Luis Palau in 1992. By the way, many years later I learned that the wonderful Christian office manager I worked with became a follower of Christ at that crusade. Yes, it DID make a lasting difference…