Grainnet

Written by Barb Selyem Photos by Bruce Selyem

Though the elevators at Ardell, KS are immediately south of U.S. Highway 50 along County Road 9, the sound from passing cars and trucks seems distant.

The time when Ardell was a busy grain destination seems remote as well. Now the quiet is interrupted by loose metal siding that bangs against the east elevator when the wind blows and by the birds that fly in and out of broken windows and open doorways.

Beating the Competition Five elevators were built in southwest Edwards County in 1915, when competition for the area’s wheat storage was intense.

The Kansas Grain Co., the first to build in Ardell, constructed the east elevator. It was a simple 12,000-bushel frame structure with metal siding, a single wood bucket elevator, and a manual manlift.

Construction started in April 1915 and was completed that May.

George E. Gano and J. R. Baker, who owned the Rock Milling and Elevator Co., planned to build elevators at Kinsley and Offerle, KS. When the competition built at Ardell, they decided they also needed an elevator there.

They hired Roy Kirk and a Mr. Bowers, who were working on other elevators in the area, to build a 15,000-bushel, metal-sided frame structure. It also was completed in one month.

After contracting with the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad for a 300-ft. rail siding, Gano and Baker opened for business at Ardell in July 1915.

Gano bought out Baker in 1918, and in 1931, Rock Milling & Elevator Co. became Gano Grain Co.

Gano Grain merged with Bunge Corporation in 1947. Bunge did not acquire the Ardell elevators until it bought the Gano-Horace Grain Co. in 1959 (by then, Gano owned the Kansas Grain Co. elevator).

Bunge closed both facilities and sold them to Carl and Cordelia Froetschner for $6,000 in 1962.

New Owners Carl Froetschner was 5 years old when the elevators at Ardell were built. As a 10-year-old, he started hauling grain there by team and wagon and would later deliver it by truck. When Bunge offered the elevators for sale, it seemed fitting Carl would buy them.

Carl and Cordelia never used the east elevator. When their son-in-law, Jay Schaller, approached them about selling it to him, they agreed.

In the late 1980s, Jay sold the east elevator to J. D. Froetschner, Carl’s nephew, who only used the elevator for one year. It was too small to accommodate his trucks and too expensive to upgrade.

Now, with broken windows, missing siding, and leaking roofs, it is beyond repair. The drive shed doors are gone, and the wood drive floor, well-worn from years of wagons and grain trucks delivering their loads, is beginning to rot.

Though it is in tough shape, Jay has no plans to tear down the elevator.

The west elevator, which has “Gano” painted on all four sides, is in good shape, though it’s currently not in use. It still has its original wood leg and manlift—both in working condition.

The wood wagon dump is still in place and so is the lift, which was installed when farmers began hauling by truck. The old engine is gone, but its mount is still in the engine room.

Above the mount, there is a huge iron pulley that was part of the line shaft that powered the leg. An old iron pump nearby was once used to provide water for the horses.

In 1993, this elevator was added to the National Register of Historic Places through the efforts of the Froetschners and the Kansas State Historical Society.

The register listing makes it eligible to receive grants for restoration and repairs. However, Carl retired from farming in 1999, and health problems have made working on the elevator impossible. He and Cordelia would like to sell but haven’t actively pursued a buyer.

The two old elevators at Ardell stand silently idle. For many people, the elevators are familiar landmarks along Highway 50. For some, they are simply aging curiosities. Others don’t notice them at all.

But for those who stop to appreciate them, the Ardell elevators are imposing structures, simple but elegant architectures, monuments to Ardell’s agricultural heritage.

Barbara and Bruce Selyem are directors of the Country Grain Elevator Historical Society. For more information, contact the society at 406-388-9282; e-mail: bselyem@country-grain-elevator-historical-society.org.

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