Grainnet

by Barbara Krupp Selyem

The last standing elevator at Lonetree, ND was built in 1909 by the St. Anthony & Dakota Elevator – one of the many line companies that followed the progress of the Great Northern Railroad as it stretched across North Dakota in the 1890s.

Once, the company name appeared in bright white lettering on the red wood elevator. Now, the history of the company is as obscure as the name on this elevator covered long ago with metal siding.

The history of the St. Anthony elevator at Lonetree, however, has not been lost and is documented in the many legal papers, photographs, and records saved by the Orser family.

St. Anthony Partnership
Rolf “Joe” Orser came to Lonetree from Colgate, ND when he was 22 years old. From 1912 to 1915, he managed the St. Anthony elevator, then became the manager of the Anchor Elevator, a local competitor. That one burned in 1933.

E.O. Dickinson Grain Co., which owned a number of elevators in North Dakota including two in Lonetree – the St. Anthony and another built by the Farmers Elevator Co. in 1912 – offered to let Orser buy into the business.

That partnership would span 14 years, until it was dissolved in 1947, after E.O. Dickinson died. Orser Grain Co. retained the Lonetree elevators for two more harvests, then sold and left the grain industry for good in 1948.

Family Memories
Each of the Orser children took their turn working at the elevators. Marion, Gloria, and Lila all helped with bookkeeping, weighing trucks, and occasionally dumping them.

Lila remembers, “We all worked there. It was just our responsibility, and when our turn came, we didn’t think much about it.

“I remember in particular all the stray cats. We weren’t afraid of them, but they sure wouldn’t come close enough to be petted or picked up. Dad fed them canned milk with hard bread, and they controlled the rats.

Hard Work
Rolf Orser Jr. worked there longer than any of his siblings.

“When I was 10, I began sweeping floors. By the time I was 13, I could weigh the trucks and then dump them, after testing for moisture and dockage.

“Scooping grain out of the flat bottom bins and cleaning the pit were hard jobs, and I can still remember the smell of the fermented grain we hauled out in buckets for pig feed.

“Loading boxcars was an interesting experience. Most of the cars were so bad that we had to staple heavy kraft paper on the floor and sides to keep the grain from sifting out.

“Once a car was filled, we used a pinch bar to move it forward. Occasionally, a car would start rolling, and we would have to climb to the top and try to stop it with the brakes. When the brakes didn’t work, we threw coopering boards in front. Sometimes, the only way a car would stop was if it banged into another car.

“Treating grain with Ceresan was a very dangerous job. That stuff could eat the skin right off your hands. It was purple and had an unpleasant odor. In order to be treated, seed grain was fed into a mixer on the second floor, coated with Ceresan, and then dumped into a truck outside.

“I have many good memories of working with the farmers. They all liked and respected Dad. We didn’t have a coffee pot, but there was usually beer.

“In 1947, Dad made me a partner, and when he decided to leave the grain business, he encouraged me to take over running the elevators by myself. I hated the dust as much as he did, and I declined his offer.”

Later History
In the early 1950s, the original Farmers Elevator burned, and Robert Becker bought the St. Anthony for farm storage. He used it until he died in 1979, and then his estate sold it to Clara and Hank Nesham.

This elevator is 100 years old now, and as expected, is showing signs of age. The rails were taken out at least 10 years ago, and since then, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) lease rates have tripled.

No burning is allowed on the property, and to have the elevator torn down would cost about $30,000.

Roger Nesham, Hank and Clara’s son, says, “If we abandon the elevator, the BNSF will tear it down and send us the bill. For now, it looks like we’re stuck with it. But it’s still pretty sound, and we still store grain there.”

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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