Grain Elevators
(from The Delano Eagle, September 15, 1881)
“ELEVATORS – There are two wheat buying firms in our village, the Elevator Company and Mr. Louis Rausch. The Delano Elevator Company was organized as a stock company in 1881, and built an elevator with the capacity of 32,000 bushels. The building is an ornament to the town and is already doing a thriving business. Mr. Rausch’s grain house dates back almost as far back as the village, does a very good trade, and has a capacity of 10,000 bushels.”
“Besides his store, Mr. Rausch is proprietor of a grain house, and does a large business in buying wheat and other grain.”
(from The Delano Eagle, December 29, 1881)
DELANO ELEVATOR – The most prominent building both on account of size and the position it occupies in business circles is the new elevator, built the past summer by a stock company with Dittman & Roosen, Chas. Eppel, I. Gutzwiller Jr., John Coolen and John Haffner as stockholders. The elevator has a capacity of 32,000 bushels, and was erected at a cost of $5,000. It is well located on the north side of the railroad track, is supplied with a steam engine, and is doing a very good trade. Since its opening this fall, not less than 25,000 bushels of wheat have been taken in. This addition was needed in Delano, and since its coming it has drawn to our village a great deal of trade fro surrounding towns. The prices paid here for wheat have been markedly good from the start, and farmers are confident that in marketing their grain here they are sure of a square deal.”
The round Delano Elevator is shown in the background.
(from the History of Wright County, MN. – Illustrated – 1881)
“A circular elevator, with storing capacity of 32,000 bushels, was built in 1881, and is operated by an engine of fifteen horse-power. It was built by a company formed of citizens of the village, who now control it.”
(from The Delano Eagle, January 1, 1885)
“THE DELANO ELEVATOR COMPANY – Started in business in the spring of 1881, there being at that time no independent elevator in Delano, and erected their round elevator on Railroad Avenue. The company consists of individual merchants and business men of the town who entered into the undertaking with a view to save to the village and its interests the thousands of dollars which the Miller’ Association were yearly taking from the neighborhood farmers and investing elsewhere. The company, since its birth has continued to prosper, and has aided considerably in benefiting the Delano markets. Prior to its opening, the usual quantity of wheat bought here did not exceed 40,000 bushels per year, and often fell short of that amount; now the usual annual market is four times that amount. Besides wheat buying the Elevator Company is engaged in the handling of oats, feed and wood; of the latter several thousands cords were taken in during the past year. Since its opening the elevator has handled 270,000 bushels of wheat, enjoys the widest patronage from wheat growers of any market along this line of road. The Elevator Company consists of I Gutzwiller Jr., President; C. G. Roosen, Secy and Treas.; Chas Eppel, John Coolen, John Haffner. Paid up capital, $7,000; authorized capital, $10,000.”
“RAUSCH’S ELEVATOR – Mr. L. Rausch rents the Landis elevator and is engaged in purchasing wheat for the Minneapolis Millers’ Association. Since harvest his elevator has taken in 45,000 bushels of wheat, and handles each year in the neighborhood of 100,000 bushels. It has a capacity of 8,000 bushels. Louis Rausch has been a resident of Delano since the winter of ’73, and also is the proprietor of another general store, centrally located on Railroad Avenue.”
(from The Delano Eagle, December14, 1893)
“GRAIN ELEVATORS – One of the most essential features in the progress and prosperity of a town or country is an excellent grain market, and in this respect Delano can feel well proud for nowhere on this line of road will be found a more liberal grain market and better facilities for handing it. We have reference to the DELANO ELEVATOR CO., which was organized many years ago, one of its prime movers being I. Gutzwiller Jr., the editor of this paper; the secretary and treasurer of the company is Chas. G. Roosen. The elevator is known all over the county as the Round Elevator of Delano. It has a capacity of 30,000 bushels, and is equipped with the most improved and modern machinery for handling grain cheaply and fast. This is the largest grain elevator and run by the oldest grain firm in the county.”
(from The History of Wright County, Minnesota, Volume II, 1915)
“The old grain house with a capacity of 8,000 bushels was one of the Davidson chain of elevators and was built soon after Delano was founded. It was bought by W. H. Landis and later rented to Louis Rausch. The Delano Elevator Co. was organized May 5, 1881, with a capital stock of $10,000, and the following officers: President, Il Gutzwiller Jr.; secretary and treasurer, C. G. Roosen; trustees, John Coolen, Charles Eppel and John Haffner. The elevator was erected having a capacity of 32,000 bushels.”
William P Moran was the manager at the Delano Farmers Co-operative Elevator Co. in 1921. He moved to Delano from Iona, in Murray County, where he was also had been the manager of a grain elevator. William was married to Margaret O’Reilly in 1902; they had two daughters, Margaret and Genevieve. After leaving the elevator business, William worked at the school as a janitor and engineer, and later clerked at a hardware store in Delano.
The Delano Elevator had been built as a Farmers’ Cooperative in 1919, but after several years of only partial success it was sold to A. J. Styrbicky and later taken over by his sons Val and Charley.
(from The Delano Eagle Special Edition, 1946)
“Featuring feed grinding and mixing, the Delano Elevator Company was established in 1924. Owned and operated by the Styrbicky Brothers, Charles and Valentine, the business has shown a steady growth and now serves a wide area.”
March 28, 1962 – Flames destroyed the Delano Elevator Co. elevator and grinding mill. The blaze was discovered shortly before 10 pm by John Tischler when he left his office at the Delano Eagle. The Delano volunteer department called for help from Watertown and Maple Plain to help fight the blaze. The fire had engulfed the 60-foot structure when they arrived on the scene, which burned for more than two hours as the firemen fought to keep the flames from spreading to nearby oil storage tanks. Flaming debris covered Great Northern Railway tracks and held up a Willmar-bound passenger train for about an hour, which was then run through on another track. The Minneapolis Star reported that the elevator was owned by Val Styrbricky and his brother-in-law, Sam Gnitka, and that Delano’s Mayor Laurence Rieder estimated the loss at more than $75,000.
On February 23, 1963, The Delano Elevator Company held an Open House, inviting everyone to visit their new modern elevator and feed plant. The new plant is of all steel construction with the most modern equipment for feed grinding and mixing. The Elevator was put together with pre-fabricated steel sections which were lifted in place with a giant crane and welded and bolted together. While the plant was being built Dutch Styrbicky carried on the business as best he could with portable mills operating out of a machine storage shed which had been saved in the fire.
