Plowing in 1800 was much different than it is today. First of all, the plows were hand-pushed and were much smaller. Plows were first made of wood. Towards the late 1800s, people were being introduced to iron plows. The blacksmiths were trying to make at least two identical plows. A blacksmith by the name of John Deere came out with a steel plow. At the time, their numbers were limited.