Humboldt, NE: CB&Q Depot and Grain Elevators

(Satellite)

Beatrice Area Railroad Enthusiasts posted
Mike Bartels: There was a brickyard in Humboldt that made platform bricks for many CB&Q depots.

I think the depot was near the northwest quadrant of Nemaha Street and the tracks.

1965 Humboldt Quad @ 24,000

There is a long siding to the east of town, but I don't think any of the elevators are rail served because I could not find any fall protectors.

Street View, Aug 2008

Looking the other way, we see that a wood elevator has survived.

Street View, Aug 2008

In the first street view above, I noticed a conveyor over the mainline of the BNSF. It is rare for a railroad to allow a conveyor to be installed over their mainline so I took a closer look. There is a truck unloading platform on the south side. But I was confused by what was over the tracks. So...

Satellite

...I took a closer view from the street. The resolution is limited, but I can see there is a downspout that comes from the tall leg down to the south side of a conveyor. And grain is transferred from the the unloading facility to the north side, which looks like it is (was?) a plant. Even though the town has what looks like distinct elevators, Google Maps has just the label of "Southeast Nebraska Co-Op Co."

Street View

Tom McLaughlin Flickr, 2011
A flour mill was established in 1879. They diversified into mixed feeds. Their original building was over by the depot. This facility was built in 1944. In 1980, Central Soya bought the feed company. Note the blueish wood elevator. It is still standing in the above satellite image. Please access the link for a more complete history of this mill.

After doing a Google search, I came across the names "Wilhelm Grain" and "Humboldt Grain and Flour Company Elevator." Tom McLaughlin further explains that the plant was a flour and feed mill.

I presume these elevators were the Wilhelm Grain Co. And that all of the storage facilities in this town are now owned by the afore mentioned Southeast Nebraska Co-Op. I can't tell how many of the facilities are still being used.

Satellite

Neither of the wood elevators that are still standing are the ones in the photo at the top of these notes.

Supposedly, Andersons owned an elevator in this town because Tyson Foods bought it. Tyson Foods plans (Feb 2018) to build a "chicken complex" in Humboldt. [MilanMirrorExchange] I wonder if that plan happened because a Google search of "tyson chicken nebraska" shows three locations in Nebraska, but none of them are near Humboldt.