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“Landmarks in a Sea of Grass” Preserving the Heritage of Prairie Skyscrapers Bruce and Barbara Selyem, Bozeman, Mont., are at the forefront of efforts to preserve the history of prairie skyscrapers. Bruce is a professional photographer, who specializes in country elevators. His photo collection is impressive, with over 75,000 images from over 3,800 places in 34 states and provinces. His images pay homage in particular to wooden country grain elevators, monumental structures on the prairie landscape since the mid-19th century. With many replaced by more modern facilities, old stick-built country elevators are nostalgic icons of a vanishing way of life. Many of Bruce’s favorite photo subjects can be perused online at the Selyems’ web site, www.grainelevatorphotos.com . The images in the photo gallery are categorized by state and listed alphabetically by town, some of which are little known (his images for N.D. include elevators in Appam, Barks, Bergen, Fonda, and Ops). His photos have been published in magazines, newspapers, and books and featured in documentaries, news programs, and talk shows. He has been a speaker for the Montana Committee for the Humanities since 1996, traveling throughout the Northern Plains with a slide documentary, “Landmarks in a Sea of Grass.” Barbara worked for over 20 years in the grain industry for a company that manufactures grain-handling equipment. While Bruce sees the elevator from more of an artistic perspective, Barbara views the elevators from an engineering point of view – how they function and operate. While Bruce is photographing, Barbara takes her notepad and pencil and heads for the elevator to gather as much historical information as possible. Sometimes the best information, she notes, is found at the town’s cafés, senior citizens center, city office, library or local museum. The Selyems offer country elevator photos, prints, and calendars for sale on their web site, or phone 406-388-9282. Country elevator diaries The purpose of the non-profit organization’s objective is explained on its web site, www.country-grain-elevator-historical-society.org : “Throughout the grain-growing regions of North America, the small country grain elevator is becoming obsolete as transportation methods and storage needs change. Many country elevators have been abandoned when the equipment fails, too much maintenance is required, or the railroad lease becomes unaffordable. Others are destroyed when there is a liability threat or there is a need for a large, modern facility.” “As these symbols of an earlier era of prosperity disappear from the landscape, so does their history if there is no effort to document and preserve their records and stories. The establishment of the Country Grain Elevator Historical Society is one way this heritage can be preserved.”
Cory tells of an incident at Chadburn when he went over to load a boxcar of grain. This elevator was not kept open on a continual basis. He prepared the boxcar to load grain, put the spout into the car and started up the elevator. As the leg started moving it picked up three skunks which had somehow entered the elevator and were in the boot. These skunks spraying as they went up were thrown into the spout leading into the car. Cory cancelled the car and approximately two months later after many treatments of tomato juice and vinegar was able to load out this carload of grain. M.D., Bozeman, MT I was day-dreaming about the “good ol’ days” not long ago, and was thinking of the time I was hoisting this farmer’s grain truck up on the lift as he didn’t have a hydraulic hoist on his grain box. I had asked the farmer if his truck was in neutral and he assured me it was out of gear. To make a long story short, it wasn’t, and of course the front wheels rolled off the narrow lift platform as it reached its highest apex. With much luck, the front bumper of the truck hung up on the lift platform as the truck started to drop, and I was able to lower the sucker before it came crashing down on my scale, probably knocking it off its pins. J. S., Townsend, MT One story that I have heard is that a new manager, Ted, from Butte, Montana came to run the elevator. Bill, a farmer from Galen Springs, south of Willow Creek came in to meet Ted and arrange to haul in his wheat by team and wagon. His first question was how much did Ted intend to steal off each load? Ted replied, “Oh, whatever is customary I guess.” Bill said that sounded fair to him and they made the deal. Supposedly neither one cracked a smile! Story was told to me by my uncle, Willis, who lived next to Bill. R.L., Three Forks, MT For quite a few years Dawn Grain Elevator also served as the Dawn post office (don’t know dates). To this day there is still a slit cut in the tin siding to drop letters through (similar to a door with letter door access). As a kid I know we really looked forward to going to the elevator - just happened to have a pop machine and peanut machine - can also remember standing around the old pot belly stove - usually burned coal in it - was a real gathering place for local farmers. Dawn Grain also used to sell coal - would get a carload - deliver to customers - quit doing this in early 60s. Why am I telling you this? When my daughter was 5 years old I dug around in the old coal yard and found a lump of coal. You might have guessed, she got it in her Christmas stocking. My daughter will be 18 this Christmas and will be very disappointed if she doesn’t get her “usual” lump of coal from the Dawn Grain Coal Yard. D.L., Dawn, OH One point of interest was when a farmer brought in a load of grain. The open pit door at the back of the wagon was opened and before they could start to raise the wagon the team of mules started to back up and kept going till one of them fell in the open pit. They got them unhitched somehow, but couldn’t get the mule out. Finally they decided to run corn into the pit till it was full enough to bring the mule to the top. I did not see this but know for a fact that it happened. -R.W., Gruver, IA I remember the time back in Chester, MT about 1976 while serving as a deputy sheriff for Liberty County. Seems the county attorney at that time was notorious for his high stake illegal poker games in his second story office across Highway #2 from several grain elevators. The sheriff wanted to “get the goods” on the county attorney, so he dreamed up a plan for a couple of us deputies to ride the manlift up to the cupola of the elevator having the best vantage point to look down into the window of the attorney’s office, during one of the weekly late night poker games. The window shade on the attorney’s window that faced us was half way down, limiting our view. We caught a glimpse of the game now and then, but couldn’t swear that money was passing between players. We spent darn near the whole night in that dusty cupola, accomplishing little more then becoming very dusty and very cold. J.L.S., Townsend, MT I am a New Englander, born and raised, and until three years ago, I’d never been west of the New York State Mountains. Then I traveled to Minnesota to help a disabled friend return to Massachusetts. I fell in love with the beautiful, flat farmland and with the old and new grain elevators that rise up like cathedrals in my mind. This past summer my husband and I drove to South Dakota and back and once again I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the plains. Here in New England, which I love, of course, everything is so “closed in” because of our hilly and rocky landscape. Out where you are is so open and free – just stunning to a hemmed-in New Englander. Then to see the grain elevators dotting the landscape was a sort of religious experience! M.E.L., Gardner, MA |
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