Grainnet

Written by Barb Selyem. Photos by Bruce Selyem

Because wood elevators were designed for function and not necessarily for style and beauty, contractors built them using a few standard plans determined by climate, intended use, and desired storage capacity. As a result, elevators in a specific area all might look pretty much the same, until additions and modifications, loving care or lack of care, and weather changed their appearances.

On the northern plains and in Canada, most wood elevators were cribbed like the ones in the 1910 row, shown in the photo on the next page, at Loma, ND.

Little has been documented about the elevators, or any history for that matter, of Loma. In 1906, the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway Co. (later the Soo Line and now the Canadian Pacific) purchased property from Tri State Land Co. to extend its “Thief River Falls Line” through Loma.

The railroad real estate department in Minneapolis does have records of this sale, as well as a few undated plat drawings. But most of its documentation concerns highway development, and none reflect a history of leases for various buildings.

Photographic Evidence
Since the Cavalier County Assessor does not have records prior to 1927, and those people who might remember are gone now, some of the history of the last remaining elevator at Loma may never be known. But, as they say, a picture can be worth a thousand words.

From railroad records and the photograph, we know all four Loma grain elevators were built between 1906 and 1910. In the photograph, the three more distant elevators are still under construction, as the roofs are not complete, and there is lumber lying around on the ground. That means the “Spaulding” elevator to the east was the first one built.

The two west elevators have different architectures than the one still standing today, so the current elevator should be one of the two in the foreground.

Historic Record
In 1978, the Farmers Union GTA (now CHS – Cenex Harvest States) purchased the two elevators at Loma from the estate of Edward P. Waltz.

According to Gary Beier, who was then an assistant manager for GTA, the company hired a Langdon, ND contractor to tear down the west elevator, and it hired Jacobson & Sons Construction to renovate the east one. Beier thinks the metal siding was installed at that time, obscuring the words that could validate all speculation, “Spaulding Elevator Co.”

If our assumptions are correct, however, the ownership records after 1927 are clearly documented by the county assessor. At that time, there were three elevators at Loma – Northland, Woodward, and Spaulding. The Spaulding elevator was sold to the National Elevator Co. in 1930 and became a joint venture between National and Peavey Co. from 1942 to 1952.

From 1952 to 1969, Peavey was the sole owner of the Spaulding Elevator as well as the one immediately to the east, which it bought from the Farmers Elevator Co. in 1956. (That elevator was the Woodworth and then Osborn McMillan, before Farmers acquired it.) In 1969, when Peavey sold its elevators at Loma to Edward Waltz, these were the only two left of the original row of four.

According to Don Waltz, his dad bought the elevators for their own farm – the west house was for wheat and the east for barley. He comments: “We ran a lot of grain through those old elevators and stored a lot of grain in them. I don’t have any significant memories other than they were dusty, and I always thought the manlift was unique, as you could zoom to the top for a look around. When my dad died in 1977, my brother, Duane, and I decided to sell.”

CHS Years
CHS bought the elevator to be used as a substation for drying and storing sunflowers by appointment. The company added a new scale and office, replaced the work and drive floors, refurbished the bins, and added a new steel leg and a dryer.

Surprisingly, in the early 1980s, CHS decided to reopen Loma on a full-time basis, after closing its elevator in Langdon. Ron Borgen, who worked at Langdon, was given the new manager’s position.

He remembers: “I was convinced that the company reopened Loma so I would have a job, and I was very proud to get that elevator on its feet. At one point, we handled over 1 million bushels of grain through that little 15,000-bushel house. The loyalty of the local farmers was phenomenal. The Loma elevator was their meeting place on the prairie.”

Eventually, CHS bought its facility at Langdon back again. Ron returned in 2002 as its manager, and Randy Hiatt took over at Loma. He, too, brags about the patrons:

“It can be a quiet place at times. I really have to like myself to work here. But our farmers like having this location, and there is a regular coffee crew in the morning, as well as occasional visits throughout the day.”

For now, the only plans for the 100-year-old Loma elevator is to keep using it. General Manager Tom Lehar says: “The wood house is still in good shape. In fact, we handle 500,000 bushels of wheat and barley there each year. Our customers are very loyal. I don’t want to see the elevator disappear. It is wearing down, but closing it is not a decision we’ll be making any time soon.”

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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