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| Jerry Krug posted Albert City, Iowa on March 18, 2007. That's ex-CNW 4542 at the base. Jesse T Wells That GP is scrap now. Don’t know if it been cut up yet but it was deadlined for it the last time I was there last spring. 2 Ex-UP MP15’s (they might be SW1500’s) are taking it place. I believe the 2 units serve both that elevator and the ethanol plant. Marc Mcclure A Tillotson Construction house Michael R Morris Just a guess, but Albert City could be the smallest town with the greatest storage capacity. I'm thinking of other contenders. Bob Summers What is it's capacity? My recent post in Frederick Kansas, population 9, is listed at 588,000 bushels - but I am sure with a little research I can beat that. Michael R Morris Holloway MN, Pop. 92 & apparently massive 'flat' storage. Am I saying that right? Long buildings? Dennis DeBruler Some towns in Illinois have a high capacity-to-size ratio because the town itself never amounted to much. Wilton: https://towns-and-nature.blogspot.com/.../wilton-il-grain... Whitaker: https://towns-and-nature.blogspot.com/.../whitaker- |
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| Bob Summers responded to Michael's comment about "massive 'flat' storage in the post This is what we think of as "massive flat storage" - SW of Wichita near Haysville Kansas. Dennis DeBruler Bob Summers How do they unload the long buildings? Does a front loader put the grain into trucks that then unload at the regular elevator? Bob Summers The buildings like these Garvey put up here and at Salina Kansas have a tunnel with conveyor back to the elevator. We used a big hiloader to push grain to the outlets for final cleanout. Rich Reed If you need massive flat storage then why are so many elevators empty? It cannot be better to store grain flat then in a bin. Bob Summers These flat storage buildings were initially built for government storage when there were large surpluses post WWII through the '50's. Many are now used for other purposes, example at the old Garvey Grain elevator SW of Wichita several are now serving other uses as Garvey Industrial Park. Terminal elevators that cannot receive grain by truck and load 100+ hopper cars are obsolete and out of business. Elevators in the country mostly now load trucks to move grain to area train loading facilities, unless they are on a short line railroad and they have several elevators that combined can load the 100+ hopper cars for the short line to deliver as a unit train or shuttle to the major railroad. You are correct, Rich Reed, there are problems maintaining quality in flat storage and the covered grain piles that are more common today. |
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| Dennis DeBruler commented on Jerry's post I didn't understand why you thought this town had a lot of capacity until I discovered that the photo is just a tip of the iceberg. https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m6!1e1!3m4... And it appears that they have a lot of fertilizer storage as well. https://www.google.com/.../@42.7845499,-94.../data=!3m1!1e3 |
An ethanol plant helps motivate UP to serve this town.
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| Valero |
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| Wesley Peters posted Albert City, Buena Vista County, IA. Farmers Cooperative Elevator. Built in 1954, Tillotson Construction Co. 252,000-bushel capacity. Built using the same plans from a similar elevator completed earlier in the year at Pocahontas (Demolished). Photographed on 4/19/2026. Photo courtesy of Wesley Peters. Bob Summers: Wesley Peters - I understand Joe Tillotson died in a car accident in the late ‘40’s and his company was closed. Was there another Tillotson? |
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| Ronald Ahrens commented on Bob's comment Joe Tillotson died in a car accident in 1948. He was a partner in Tillotson Construction Co., of Omaha, with his brother Reginald. They had a falling out, details unknown, around 1947 and parted ways. As we understand it, Joe went to Denver, launched his own company, and built a few elevators. Reginald and their sister Mary, who helped run the business, stayed the course in Omaha and built elevators throughout the 1950s. Reginald died suddenly in 1960, and the company ceased operations. Mary died a couple of years later. We have more than 500 posts documenting Tillotson elevators and their descendants on our blog, Our Grandfathers' Grain Elevators. I'm including a screenshot on Albert City from the construction record. Bob Summers: Thanks. Explains why the elevator Wesley Peters posted had a less rounded head house than the signature ones we see on Tillotsons in our region. |
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| Wesley Peters posted Albert City, Buena Vista County, IA. Farmers Cooperative Elevator Co. Headhouse built in 1967. Bushel capacity unknown. North annex (12 tanks) built in unknown year. Bushel capacity unknown. Middle annex (2 tanks) built in 1970, T. E. Ibberson Co. 520,000-bushel capacity. South annex (3 tanks) built in 1977? Bushel capacity unknown. North annex (east side, 2 tanks) built in 1973, T. E. Ibberson Co. 622,000-bushel capacity. South annex (east side, 2 tanks) built in 1976, Quad States Construction Co. On June 19, 1970, while working on the new annex, the roof of the tank collapsed killing seven men who were hired by T. E. Ibberson Co. The seven men killed were identified Steve Mangold (22), Linn Grove, IA. Virgil Buckholtz (27), Albert City, IA. Michael McCormick, (19), Rembrandt, IA. Kenneth Andre, Fenton, IA. Robert Mitchell (49), Mankato, MN. James Jorstad, (27), Hillsboro, ND. Ronald Jorstad (24), Cummings, ND. Photographed on 4/19/2026. Photo courtesy of Wesley Peters. |
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| Ronald Ahrens commented on Wesley's post Des Moines Tribune, June 20, 1970 |
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