Oto, IA: 1904 Wood Grain Elevator and Old Sinclair Gas Station

(Satellite)

Street View, May 2024

Street View, May 2024

Jerry Krug posted

"Revisiting Oto, Woodbury County, IA.

Westbrook-Gibbons Grain Co. Built in 1904. Bushel capacity unknown."

Photographed on 7/5/2026.

Photo and information courtesy of Wesley Peters.

I presume the round slabs are for bins that have been removed.

Satellite

I noticed this old gas 1920s or 30s gas station.

Street View, May 2024

It appears this is a preserved, rather than a typically restored, Sinclair station. I think those pumps are from the 1970s or 80s.

Street View, May 2024

The railroad was the IC. It was gone on the oldest map I could find, 1954.

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Butterfield, MN: Wood Grain Elevator

(Satellite)

There has been only one street view driver in this town and he never got close to the elevator.

Street View, Jul 2025

Wesley Peters posted three photos with the comment:

Grain Elevator Photography Trip 2, North Dakota/South Dakota/Minnesota.

Butterfield, Watonwan County, MN.

Adrian Elevator Inc. South headhouse built after 1969 (exact year unknown). Bushel capacity unknown. North headhouse built in unknown year.

Photographed on 7/20/2025.

Photos courtesy of Wesley Peters.

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Both routes through town were the C&NW.

19l70/72 Butterfield Quad @ 24,000

The East, West and South "spokes" are still owned by the UP.

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Earl Park, IN: Old Gas Station and Grain Elevator

Gas Station: (Satellite)

Elevator: (Satellite)

Even 1970s pumps are historic because they were still mechanical.

Street View, Jul 2025

James Leighton posted
Earl Park Indiana

Karen Marshall- Vanderwall: his station wasn't Sinclair.. I think is was a Standard or Amoco .

The railroad was the Big Four. It is now the Kankakee, Beaverville & Southern Railroad.

Street View, Jul 2024

Boyd, MN: Wood Grain Elevators

East: (Satellite)

West: (Satellite)

Looking North:

Street View, Aug 2025

Wesley Peters posted three photos with the comment:

Grain Elevator Photography Trip 2, North Dakota/South Dakota/Minnesota.

Boyd, Lac qui Parle County, MN.

Northwest Complex- Farmers Elevator Co. Square top headhouse built before 1955 (exact year unknown). Bushel capacity unknown.

Southeast Complex- Early history unknown.

Photographed on 7/20/2025.

Photos courtesy of Wesley Peters.

John Harker: SE Complex still in use

Owned by Prairie Grain Partners of Clarkfield Minnesota

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PrairieGrainPartners

The railroad was the C&NW.

1965/66 Boyd Quad @ 24,000

A satellite image shows that the tracks still exist. And it looks like all three road crossing were reconstructed rather recently.

Google, Oct 25, 2024

To my surprise, because UP bought C&NW, this route is now owned by BNSF.

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And this map agrees.

National Rail Network Map

Orleans, NE: CB&Q Depot, Wood Grain Elevators and NK&C Railroad

(Satellite)

Street View, Sep 2025

Michael Behm posted
The Chicago Burlington & Quincy depot from Orleans, Nebraska. My picture from 9-12-26

Comments on Michael's post

The town has a big new elevator and a couple of old elevators.

Street View, Sep 2025

None of the big bins existed in 2012 and the older elevator was bigger.

Street View, Jun 2012

The new elevator sometimes has a big ground pile.

Satellite

The town still has a couple of wood grain elevators.

Street View, Sep 2025

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Orleans is where the branch to St. Francis left the route across the southern part of Nebraska.

1902

NK&C = Nebraska, Kansas & Colorado (NKCR)

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Omnitrax
"Nebraska, Kansas & Colorado Railway (NKCR) owns and operates approximately 509 miles of track in three states and carries a diverse mix of traffic including wheat, corn, coal and fertilizer. NKCR, one of several railroads in Nebraska, has benefited from its ability to attract high throughput grain elevators to its lines due to its superior service record and excellent relationship with BNSF. More specifically, NKCR recently made considerable track improvements in conjunction with upgrade investments by the owners of grain elevators at Venango, Nebraska, Loomis, Nebraska and Holyoke, Colorado, each of which now loads 110-car shuttle trains. In addition to grain, NKCR ships liquid fertilizer shuttle unloaders at Maywood, Nebraska, Imperial, Nebraska and Holyoke, Colorado in addition to the dry fertilizer shuttle unloader at Loomis, Nebraska."

Fairfax, MN: C&NW/Minneapolis & St. Louis (M&StL) Depot and Wood Grain Elevators

Depot: (Satellite)

East Wood Grain Elevator: (Satellite)

West Wood Grain Elevator: (Satellite)

See Franklin, MN, for information about the railroad.

Museum/Minneapolis & St. Louis (M&StL) Depot

János Mc, Aug 2019

The west wood grain elevator is in the left background.

Mashell Aponi (Princess Athia) posted

East Wood Grain Elevator

The right background looks like the fertilizer supply facility for the co-op. This grain elevator has grown considerably from its start with a significantly large wood elevator.

Street View, Oct 2023

The fertilizer supply facility must get rail service because it has an industrial siding from the mainline and has a hopper unloading conveyor. But I don't see a fall protector in the above view for the elevator to get rail service.

Satellite

West Wood Grain Elevator

No street view driver went into town. We can tell from the satellite image that it hasn't grown much since it was built.

Street View, Oct 2023

Both Wood Grain Elevators

Wesley Peters posted five photos with the comment:

Grain Elevator Photography Trip 2, North Dakota/South Dakota/Minnesota.

Fairfax, Renville County, MN.

East Complex- Fairfax Grain & Supply Co-op. False-front drive-thru headhouse built in 1976, Hogenson Construction Co. 200,000-bushel capacity.

One of six surviving drive-thru headhouses by Hogenson Construction Co. in Minnesota.

West Complex- Great Western Elevator Co. Built in 1895. Bushel capacity unknown. The previous elevator on the site was destroyed by arson, along with two other elevators along the siding, on July 8, 1895. Incendiaries were used to set all three elevators ablaze. 5,000-bushels of wheat were destroyed.

Last (confirmed) surviving elevator built for the Great Western Elevator Co. in the Midwest.

Photographed on 7/20/2025.

Photos courtesy of Wesley Peters.

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Gibbon, MN: Wood Grain Elevator

(Satellite)

Street View, Oct 2023

Wesley Peters posted

Grain Elevator Photography Trip 2, North Dakota/South Dakota/Minnesota.

Gibbon, Sibley County, MN.

Early history unknown.

Photographed on 7/20/2025.

Photo courtesy of Wesley Peters.

Tom Dueringer: I managed the feed mill there from 2013-2016

Given Tom's comment, I looked for the feed mill. It would be the brown building behind the wood elevator. 

Street View, Oct 2023

No Street View driver went down that road, but I can zoom in. In addition to a feed truck, we see the many downspouts to the bins that would hold supplements.

Street View, Oct 2023

The railroad was C&NW.

1964/65 Gibbon Quad @ 24,000

UP still owns this former-C&NW route. The top street view and Wesley's photo shows that there is a conveyor over a Class I railroad. That is rare. And the hopper car in Wesley's photo shows that UP is providing rail service. That is also rare, especially since there is no fall protector.

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