Summergrass and the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum part 1

by Loren · January 26, 2023

The Summergrass San Diego Bluegrass Festival takes place at the town of Vista, California on the grounds of the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum. The museum is open during the festival which allows you to both take in good music and check out the antique machinery. Summergrass usually takes place in August and runs for three days. I have been to Summergrass a number of times and these pictures are from one day in 2005, 2019 and 2022.

When I get to the festival I go straight to the music stage and if a band is playing I listen to it.

In 2022 the first band I saw was started in 1984 and is now called Phil Salazar & The Kin. They have a number of albums out and play at concerts and festivals up and down the West Coast.

The festival only uses one stage so there is some time between bands. This does give one time to explore the museum. In 2022 this steam traction engine was in operation which was made about 1909 by the J.I. Case Company in Wisconsin. This one was used as a road locomotive to haul loads of copper ore in Nevada.

This steam traction engine was rated by Minneapolis Threshing Machine Company at 20HP. It last worked in a sawmill in Wausan, Wisconsin during the 1940’s. It was moved to Oceanside, California about 1955 and was filmed in the movie The Gentle Persuasion (1956) with Gary Cooper and Dorthey McGuire. It was taken apart in the 1970’s for restoration but was not put back together until 1995.

The next band I saw in 2022 was Prairie Sky. The group is rooted in bluegrass and borrows from many musical genres along with original material thrown into the mix to provide a wide array inventive and entertaining sounds.

This is part of Steam Engine Row at the museum where there are more than 20 fully operational steam engines dating back to the 1860’s. This is a 300HP Corliss Steam Engine built by Allis-Chlamers Company in Wisconsin in 1910. This is one of several that were used by Holly Sugar Company in Santa Ana, California where they provided the mechanical power to process sugar beets into sugar. In 1984 it became the first operating engine on Steam Engine Row.

The red steam engine on the right was made by the Ball Engine Company in 1901 with 110HP and tandem-compound horizontal configuration. It was installed in 1902 in downtown Avalon in 1902 and powered the first electrical generating power plant on Catalina Island. After being unused for 92 years it was completely dismantled and rebuilt. It again became operational in June of 2013.

This steam powered refrigeration system was built in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by the Vilter Company. It was used by the Vineyard Winery is Guasti, California from 1910 up until the late 1950’s to provide refrigeration and cooling for various things in the winery. The system is powered by a 265HP Corliss steam engine that provides power to the ammonia refrigeration compressor. The refrigeration system had to be dissembled to remove it from the winery then reassembled and it became operational again in June 1995.

This Ideal Engine Generator Set was made about 1894 by the A.L. Ide & Son company in Springfield, Illinois. This set was purchased by the Belle Isle & Winsor Ferry Company and installed on the ferryboat Promise to provide for all the electrical needs on the boat. The first few years the Promise ferryboat was primarily used for excursions then began a 10 minute passenger service between Detroit and Winsor. The Ideal Steam Engine was an automatic high-speed self oiling 25HP steam engine which was patented in 1884.

Fast Track was the last band I saw in 2022. It was formed by three people, who after the retirement of their leader, added two other musicians. They now have albums out and are playing at festivals in the U.S.

The Farmhouse represents how things might have been at the turn of the century. The parlor is filled with furniture from this time period and even a Victorian pump organ for the family’s entertainment. The museum also has some sewing machines on display.

In the kitchen is a wood burning stove as well as lots of places to store things. Many farmhouses had places to eat in the kitchen.

At the Guajome Gulch station is a miniature ride-on train. While it was not running when I was there it does run during a few other events. There is also a telegraph office.