Grainnet

Written by Barb Selyem. Photos by Bruce Selyem

When United Grain Growers (UGG) acquired Midland & Pacific Grain Co. in 1954, Midland had 70 licensed elevators including two at Kinuso, AB, Canada.

One elevator, built in 1938, was dismantled in 1969. The other, built in 1951, is still standing and in use.

Sloco McRee of Kinuso was a teenager in 1951, when construction began on the Midland & Pacific Grain Co. elevator at Kinuso.

“I passed by the site every day on my way to school, but I didn’t pay much attention to the work being done,” Sloco says. “I do remember that it seemed to be taking forever.”

He continues, “The cribbed walls only grew about a foot each day, and the height of the elevator is over 100 feet. Once the building was completed, the crew painted the wood siding a rusty red color.”

A Variety of Interesting Logos
In the late 1950s, UGG repainted the elevator silver and added the unique UGG logo on the rail side, as well as “United Grain Growers, The Pioneer Co-op” on the east and west sides.

According to Glenn Dickson, an engineering project manager for Agricore United, “The United Grain Growers nomenclature was created in 1917, when the Alberta Farmers’ Cooperative Elevator Co. Ltd. amalgamated with the Grain Growers Grain Co.

“I don’t think UGG had a ‘trademarked or copyrighted’ logo between 1912 and 1964, so you could put anything you wanted on an elevator. If you look at old photos, you will see regional variations probably created by the provincial management, territory managers, or even an energetic paint crew. There was no apparent standard.”

New Owners
UGG closed the 1951 Kinuso elevator in 1973 and put it up for sale. Sloco and his brother, Zanny, were the successful bidders.

When asked how long he has owned the elevator at Kinuso, Sloco estimates about 15 years. His wife, Joanie, reminds him that he bought it in 1974.

He laughs and says, “I’m 70 years old. These days when I try to remember dates, I better double my first impression. That way, the results may be more accurate.

“We agreed in our sales contract not to operate the elevator as a commercial venture. That was OK, because we wanted it for our own farm storage. It has paid for itself several times and provided benefits we hadn’t thought about when we bought it.

“For example, filling the elevator is a lot less hassle than moving augers to fill steel tanks. Also, if the grain starts to get hot spots, we can easily turn on the bucket elevator and move the grain to another bin.

“We haven’t had many maintenance issues in the last 33 years. The wood leg and manlift are original, and the electric motor was new when we bought the elevator. (UGG replaced the gas engine a couple of years earlier.) The only other equipment is the dryer, and it has been so dry here that we haven’t needed it for four or five years.”

Until now, the only major repair to the elevator involved replacing rotting 6x6 boards in the foundation. That project in the early 1980s required raising the elevator about four feet with four big railroad jacks and eight hydraulic jacks. This year, the McRees are going to replace the roof.

Future Plans
Sloco hopes to retire in four or five years but says, “We’re already thinking ahead, as we want to see the elevator preserved. We’ve offered to give it to the city for a museum, and the city has contacted the Canadian National Railroad to negotiate the purchase of the property or a no-charge lease.

“For now, we are still farming and using the elevator for storing wheat, oats, and barley. This year, we will probably use it to load at least two railcars of organic oats for shipment to the states.”

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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