Henry C. Luecke Pioneer, Blacksmith and Inventor

A native of Missouri, Henry C. Luecke (1861-1937) came to Texas about 1890. He opened a blacksmith shop at this intersection in 1903. Here he developed and manufactured the Wichita Gang Plow, patented in 1905. His device was similar to other plows designed to turn several furrows at once but included three levers to improve maneuverability. The Wichita Gang Plow was widely sold in this area before the steam tractor made it obsolete. Luecke and his wife Emma (1866-1950) were charter members of St. Paul's Lutheran Church. They had eleven children. (1978)