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"Oliver Evans' 'Oructor Amphibolis,' or, Amphibious Digger, the First American Locomotive--1804"
1804
The Henry Ford
Dearborn, MI, United States
Inventor and engineer Oliver Evans believed that steam engines, used to power mills and steamboats, could also propel land vehicles. An opportunity to experiment came with a commission from the Philadelphia Board of Health for a steam dredge. Evans designed a 30-foot long, 17-ton amphibious digger that moved successfully over land in 1805. This onetime stunt proved the viability of steam-powered carriages.
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Details
- Title: "Oliver Evans' 'Oructor Amphibolis,' or, Amphibious Digger, the First American Locomotive--1804"
- Date: 1804
- Location: United States
- Subject Keywords: Evans, Oliver, 1755-1819, Locomotives, Inventions, Engravings (Prints), Photographic prints, Photographs
- Type: Photographs
- Contributor: The Henry Ford
- Original Source: Digital Collections
- Object Name: Photographic print
- Object ID: 42.379.1
- Inventor: Oliver Evans
- Invention: Oructor Amphibolis
- Image ID: THF125960
- Field: Transportation
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