(H)our History Lesson:War Manufacturing in Waterloo, Iowa, World War II Heritage City

Image 1: John Deere Battalion members repairing a tank, 1943.

Courtesy of the John Deere Archives

About this Lesson

This lesson is part of a series about the World War II home front in an American World War II Heritage City. The lesson contains readings and photos to contribute to learners’ understandings about wartime production in Waterloo, Iowa. Students will learn about the manufacturing background of the city and the impact of two local manufacturers, John Deere Company and Rath Packing Company. Women were increasingly hired in both factories to fulfill employment demands.

Objectives:

1. Explain the effect of war manufacturing on the population and growth of Waterloo, Iowa.
2. Describe the impact of the John Deere Company and Rath Packing Company and their contributions to the U.S. and the Allied forces.
3. Compare local, historical perspectives on service to synthesize and connect to larger wartime perspectives and themes.

Materials for Students:

1. Readings 1, 2, 3 (and optional extension)
2. Recommended: Map of Iowa with Waterloo marked

3. Images -- All images from this lesson are available in the Waterloo, Iowa Gallery:

Teacher Tip: The images in the Waterloo Gallery are labeled with the name of this lesson ("War Manufacturing") and the image number in the title. The high quality images in the gallery can be used for your classroom slides or for students to do close analysis.

Getting Started: Essential Question

How did manufacturing and industry in Waterloo contribute to the war effort on the home front?

Read to Connect

Reading 1:

Note: This text is revised to meet student reading levels. The original text is from pages 1, 2, and 9 from within the City of Waterloo, Iowa’s “American World War II Heritage City Program Application” (September 1, 2023). The text is to support students in understanding why Waterloo was an area primed for wartime manufacturing, and its growth, because of the war. Later, in Readings 2 and 3, students will connect to two examples of manufacturing in Waterloo – John Deere Tractor Company and Rath Packing Company.

Waterloo, Iowa: Manufacturing and Growth in Wartime

Waterloo, Iowa, established in 1845, transformed into a hub of commerce and trade. It emerged as a growing industrial force within the northeastern region of Iowa. By the 1920s Waterloo had earned the title of “Factory City." The city had foundries, engine manufacturing, mills, farm equipment factories, retail, and transportation. It supported agriculture in the northern plains states. The 1920 census counted 36,000 individuals, a tripling of the 1900 count.

By 1940, the city was known as the “industrial capital of Iowa.” It was a still-growing city of 52,000. Although recovering from the Great Depression, population and employment continued to increase. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, many more people in Waterloo began enlisting in the military.  The local industries began to hire women to meet employment demands. 

The city’s two major employers were John Deere Tractor Company and Rath Packing Company. John Deere manufactured tractors and agricultural equipment. Rath Packing specialized in meat packing. Other businesses supported the supply chain to the major businesses. 

To help the United States fight in World War II, factories shifted production to wartime materials. John Deere shifted to supplying the army with tank transmissions and airplane parts. The Rath Packing Company became the country's largest single-unit meatpacking facility. They turned to feeding the troops. Other Waterloo factories produced bombs, munitions, clothing, tents, and other equipment. The manufacturing in Waterloo amounted to many tons of products sent to the Armed forces. The dollar value today would be in the billions.

Waterloo was a traditional factory city. It succeeded due to several factors. Three major railroad lines located in the city gave it access to major urban areas. Surrounding Waterloo was some of the most productive farmland in the nation. The local workforce included experienced machinists, foundrymen, and engineers. Skilled workers could handle most production problems on site. For example, John Deere tractor engineers solved a weakness in the Sherman tank transmission.

Local managers owned the companies in Waterloo. This allowed for quick decision making. Managers adjusted work schedules, resolved labor challenges, and changed raw material orders. They were able to inspire workers, and later transition to the postwar civilian consumer economy. The success of the war economy depended on factory cities like Waterloo and the companies that filled them.
 

Reading 2: The John Deere Company

Background: This secondary source details the growth, role, and employment at the John Deere Company, and its subsidiary, the Iowa Transmission Company.

The John Deere Company 

By Sarah Nestor Lane

Before World War 2, the John Deere Company plant in Waterloo, Iowa, was manufacturing tractors. Models were cast, machined, and assembled there. The tractors were known to be sturdy and reliable. When war broke out, government regulations limited the production of tractors.

John Deere acquired government contracts to produce Sherman tank transmissions, military tractors, ammunition casings, mobile laundry units, and aircraft parts. 

The John Deere Company established the subsidiary Iowa Transmission company. John Deere employed men and women, and both received the same wages. The company hired more women when many men enlisted in the armed services. About 4,500 employees left for the service. John Deere maintained a sign listing all active employees serving in the war, the “John Deere Honor Roll.” Women worked every job at John Deere. This included welding, running drill presses, and operating screw machines. 

John Deere and the Iowa Transmission Company had an important role in war manufacturing. Consider the following statistics:

• John Deere had over 1,000 government contracts from 1941-1943.
• Produced more than $130 million, or $2.2 billion in today's standards, in military equipment.
• About 1,000 transmissions and final drive units were made per month at peak production.
• 22,000 transmissions and drive trains were produced during the war.

The Iowa Transmission Company received the Army-Navy Production “E” Award in July 1942.  This award was an honor presented by the War Department to encourage and celebrate “Excellence in Production,” or “E,” for wartime production and mobilization. 

The letter from the War Department, Office of the Under Secretary, to the Iowa Transmission Company stated:
“This award symbolizes your country’s appreciation of the achievement of every man and woman in the Iowa Transmission Company. Accorded only to those organizations which have shown exceptional performance in fulfilling their tasks, it consists of a flag to be flown above your plant, and a lapel pin which each individual within your organization may wear as a sign of distinguished service to his country.”

A magazine insert celebrating the award further stated, “A large percentage of the skilled workmen who build John Deere tractors in time of peace have turned their skill to the making of war machines. Their training and standards of workmanship are standing them in good stead in building the tools of Victory.” The ceremony was held in August 1942 in Waterloo.

John Deere also had a unique request from the War Department. They asked the John Deere organization to form a U.S. Army Battalion for service as a maintenance unit. This unit, the John Deere Battalion (303rd Ordnance Battalion) kept mechanized combat equipment in operation. The unit was comprised of nearly 1,000 employees and John Deere dealer employees.

Note: The information in the text was curated from Heritage City supporting documentation, resources from the John Deere Archives, The Grout Museum of History and Science (Waterloo), and additional research.

Reading 3: The Rath Packing Company

Background: This secondary source details the growth, role, and employment at the Rath Packing Company.

The Rath Packing Company 

By Sarah Nestor Lane

One of the largest manufacturers in Waterloo, Iowa in World War II was Rath Packing Company. Established in 1891, Rath Packing gained fame for its cured ham and bacon. It soon expanded to process a variety of meats. By the early 1940s, Rath was distributing its products to local, national, and overseas consumers. Rath supplied thousands of butcher shops and grocers.

As the United States entered World War II, Rath Packing secured wartime contracts. This was not the first time Rath had supported the nation's war efforts. Rath supplied meat to the armed forces during World War I. In World War II, Rath increased capacity to supply troops. Rath produced processed meats with extended shelf lives. This was essential for feeding troops, but also civilians at home. 

By 1940, Rath's plant in Waterloo had over 130 buildings. They streamlined the meatpacking process from start to finish. In 1941, Rath became the largest single-unit meatpacking facility in the United States. Rath employed over 6,000 workers and was Iowa's second largest employer. (Second only to John Deere.) The workforce continued to grow during and after the war, peaking at almost 9,000 employees by 1956.

Rath Packing had a racially integrated workforce before, during, and after the war. African Americans had migrated to Waterloo seeking job opportunities. The first large migration of African American workers to Waterloo was documented in 1911. The Illinois Central Railroad encouraged African Americans from the South to come to work in Waterloo, and they came, not knowing they were being used as strikebreakers. After the strike, many African American workers retained their positions as white workers left. African Americans in the area faced housing and social challenges from both racial discrimination and from having been strikebreakers. Some left the railroad and began work at Rath. The migration of workers continued in World War II. Workers hoped for economic opportunities, and sometimes relied on family connections. However, African Americans often held less desirable roles, such as in foundries and on the kill line.

During the war, Rath faced workforce challenges. Many male employees enlisted in the armed forces. This led to an increase in female workers taking on roles traditionally held by men. The company supported the war effort with visible reminders. Rath had a service flag displayed. In 1943, there were 1,300 blue stars, representing workers from Rath in the armed forces. Rath placed five gold stars in the middle to honor five brothers, the Sullivan brothers, who had worked at Rath and lost their lives together in the Navy on USS Juneau. Rath also had a large, 14-foot neon sign above the Employees Building installed in 1944. The sign displayed the running count of employees serving in the military, 2,689 men and women. It also included the unfortunate count of casualties over time, which was, in total, 76. 

Union membership at Rath grew during and after the war. The union advocated for issues like better wages and paid sick leave. Despite the issues, the union honored their no-strike pledge during the war to reflect a commitment to national priorities. After the war labor disputes did arise. Rath also navigated the challenges of transitioning back to civilian production.

The impact of Rath Packing during World War II was profound. The company fulfilled extensive contracts for pork, lamb, veal, and beef. This was approximately $100,000,000 in wartime procurement, about $1.7 billion today. During the peak of the war, 27 refrigerated railroad cars left daily with essential food supplies for troops across the country.

Rath Packing Company continued to operate until 1985. The company left behind a legacy of wartime contribution, industrial growth, and economic impact in Waterloo, Iowa.

Note: The information in the text was curated from Heritage City supporting documentation, additional research, and “Bringin’ Home the Bacon: The Rath Packing Company in Waterloo, 1891-1985” by Rebecca Conard (2010).

Image 2: The John Deere “Honor Roll” in Waterloo at the Tractor Works. The sign listed all active employees serving in the war.

Courtesy of the John Deere Archives

By the numbers:

• Waterloo had over 9,000 workers on the home front line of defense.

Rath Packing Company and John Deere Tractor Company were only two of the city’s manufacturers. More examples include:

• Hinson manufacturing, a textile manufacturer, received a contract from the Army in December 1941 for 100,000 cartridge belts. Employment gaps were filled by retirees, high schoolers, and women. They employed 1,150 workers, and 95% were women in 1943.

• Chamberlain, a munitions manufacturer, was another employer that had 1,500 women employees.

Quotation to consider:

“There were a lot of women working here [at Rath Packing Company]. I mean, they needed a lot of women, but then they hired some women to do men’s jobs also. I guess they weren’t that fussy at that time. I know I was transferred down to bacon, which is where I work now, that first summer, and they had women slicing [traditional male role] in there at the time. . . I’m sure they had women on any job they could get them on.”

- Lucille Bremer, June 2, 1982, Oral history from Iowa Labor History Oral Project

Image 3: “Waterloo Packer.” A female Rath worker, alongside a male, packing sliced bacon in 1941.

Courtesy of the Iowa Federation of Labor Collection, State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City

Student Activities

Questions for Reading 1 and Photos

1. What earned Waterloo the title of "Factory City" by the 1920s? How did these factors impact the city’s population?
2. Name two major employers in Waterloo.
3. Describe why Waterloo was a successful city for war manufacturing.

Questions for Reading 2

1. Examine the photos. How do they connect to your learning in the text?
2. What types of equipment did John Deere manufacture before, and then during, the war?
3. What role did women play in the workforce at John Deere during the war?
4. What award did the Iowa Transmission Company receive in July 1942? How was this significant?
5. Describe the economic and wartime impact of the John Deere Company in Waterloo.

Questions for Reading 3

1. What was Rath Packing Company known for before the war?
2. Describe the movement of African American workers, and the challenges they faced in employment. (The lesson extension may be used to further students’ understandings.)
3. What was the significance of the displayed neon sign during the war?
4. Explain how Rath Packing Company supported the war effort. Use statistics to support your explanation.

Lesson Closing

How did manufacturing and industry in Waterloo contribute to the war effort on the home front?

What local impact was seen on employment levels and opportunities?

Extensions

Learn About Other Waterloo Contributing Manufacturers

Waterloo had many businesses and companies that contributed to war manufacturing in addition to the John Deere and Rath Packing Companies. Support students in learning about others by sharing the information in “Defense Manufacturing” in Waterloo’s American World War II Heritage City Program Application, pages 7-10. 

One option for sharing is to print the pages and cut each example excerpt into slips to distribute to students or student groups, to read and report out the many examples of manufacturing in the area.

African American Workforce Migration and Experience in Waterloo

Resources

1. The oral history of Eddie L. Simmons from the Iowa Labor Oral History Project shares some details about his father’s migration to Waterloo (prior to the war) and his experience growing up in Waterloo. He shares some perspectives on employment at Rath and John Deere, before and during the war. Excerpts may be shared to connect to the information in the lesson’s readings. It is recommended to review and select from pp. 1-11 in the oral history transcript.
2. The newspaper article provided by the State Historical Society of Iowa, ‘Great Migration Railroad Strike 100 Years Ago Brought an Influx of African-Americans to Waterloo,’ shares about the migration of African Americans from the south to Waterloo for employment and opportunities.

Additional Resources

• Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area: Waterloo sites are included in this National Heritage Area, including the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum.
• Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum (Grout Museum District, Waterloo)

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This lesson was written by Sarah Nestor Lane, an educator and consultant with the Cultural Resources Office of Interpretation and Education, funded by the National Council on Public History's cooperative agreement with the National Park Service.