The grain elevator has always been a
staple of our Midwestern rural communities. But in Dorchester, our elevators
have changed a bit over the years, in both name and physical
appearance.In 1881, when Dorchester was officially incorporated, Dorchester had two grain elevators. The drought of the 1890s reduced that number to one -- the J.R. Clark elevator. The Times has located an amazing photo of that elevator, taken in 1907.
In the late
1910s and early 1920s, soaring land prices and plummeting grain prices brought
the expanding farm economy to an abrupt halt. In 1920, the Dorchester Farmers
Cooperative had an operational loss of $3,203 -- the only year with a net loss
in the history of the company, according to our research.Despite some lean years, the cooperative survived and later thrived. The 1940s and 1960s brought massive expansion to Dorchester's grain storage facilities.
Today, Farmers Cooperative, with its headquarters in Dorchester, is a modern success story. The elevator and its storage bins dominate the Dorchester skyline. Farmers Cooperative serves as an economic hub for the area, and is comprised of sepearte energy, grain, feed, and agronomy departments. Farmers Cooperative owns facilities in 40 other communities, including DeWitt, Milford, Swanton, Tobias, Western, McCool Junction and Wilber. Total operating revenues are estimated well into the tens of millions of dollars. Property tax revenue provides generous returns for the Village of Dorchester.
Dorchester's grain storage facilities and farmers cooperative have certainly come a long way. We at the Times are proud of the contribution that our cooperative and its producer members make to our town and local economy in 2012.
Any readers happen to remember when they intentionally burned down the old elevator? In the late 1950's. Volunteer Firemen came from nearby towns to practice putting out fires. Elevator was due to be torn down anyway so they decided to burn it and practice putting out fires instead. (they all had cold beer at the then-firestation after it was all over.) I remember it well.
ReplyDelete.................them bins are only gonna be half full this year................................. enjoy your $10/lb hamburger ........................................................ keep watchin yer movies and getting tattoos and smoking dope ........................ maybe ya wont notice..............................
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