Wall Grain Elevators, Pennington Co., SD

	This chapter is from "Eastern Pennington County Memories", published by 
	The American Legion Auxilliary, Carrol McDonald Unit, Wall, South Dakota 
	And is uploaded with their kind permission. Page 34

	Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net, 1999. 

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E. C. Smoot and Wall Grain Elevators

by Jackie Paulson

	The two grain elevators in Wall are familiar landmarks to many 
people in this area. The one to the north, the Farmers Elevator was 
organized in 1929. Dave Sims, Oscar Mills and the Teuber Brothers were 
the first officers of the new company. Ralph Gilling of Minnesota was 
the first manager. In the spring of 193 1, the directors decided to 
sell or lease their property.

	E. C. Smoot, who was the Tri-State Elevator Company auditor 
working out of the main office at Belle Fourche, was looking for a good 
town in which to locate. Wall at that time was a small, lively town 
that drew trade from a large territory, had a good school and some very 
friendly people.

	E. C. and Vivian Smoot purchased the elevator in April of 1931. 
The name was changed to the Wall Elevator Company, John Harnden managed 
the elevator until July 6th when the Smoot Family including Janis, 
Jacqueline and John arrived in Wall to make their home in the living 
quarters connected to the elevator.

	We will never forget 1931 as there was a complete crop failure 
and we didn't do a dimes worth of business. In 1932 there was a bumper 
winter wheat crop and the price was practically zero. As low as 19 
cents a bushel was paid for No. 1 winter wheat. Most of this wheat was 
sold through the McCarthy Brothers Commission Company of Minneapolis. 
Bert continued to do business with McCarthy Brothers.

	The large warehouse to the south was built in 1934 by the 
Patterson Brothers Construction Company of Minnesota. Many of the local 
farmers helped with the building of it. A small, modern feed grinder 
was installed to grind bulk feed for delivery to the farmers.

	The Wall Elevator was the first business in Wall to handle feed 
in the pellet form. This feed was manufactured by Purina Mills and Bert 
continued to be a Purina dealer for many years. These pellets of 
balanced ration were made for chickens, he sold only five sacks the 
first year but the next year over 150 sacks were sold. Every spring 
baby chicks were displayed in the office in one of the first brooders 
heated with electric light bulbs and fed Purina Chick Starter. At this 
time farmers were beginning to order their baby chicks from Sunshine 
Hatchery at Madison because of direct railroad connections.

	To the north of the main elevator six coal sheds were built. Coal 
and wood were the main fuels used for heating and cooking. Coal was 
sold by the sack or by the ton. The Wall School contracted coal by the 
freight carload. The coal was taken home by horseback, buggy, team and 
wagon, as well as in the trunk of the car and later by the truck load.

	Flour and salt were stored in the flour house. The flour was 
shipped in by carload and sold mainly in 100 pound sacks direct to the 
farmers or local stores. The large, cloth flour sacks were used to make 
clothing, dish towels, and even sewed together to make sheets.

	John Harnden worked in the elevator for many years, as well as 
Joe Wilson and Bill Sims. Lynden (Red) Bamsey started his elevator 
career at the Wall Elevator.

	The huge willow patch was a favorite playground for the town kids 
and also a choice camping spot for the many gypsies that came to town 
every summer. They would camp here and make baskets and trays from the 
willows that were then peddled to local people or sold along the way as 
they traveled.

	During the hard times the freight trains brought many bums to 
Wall. These hobos camped among the piles of railroad ties or under the 
railroad water tank. They as well as many local people, came to the 
pump at the elevator to get water from the well. They asked for 
handouts, stole eggs from our chicken house and more than once the cow 
had been milked dry. The garden patch was visited too.

	Because of Bert's failing health the elevator was sold to Ralph 
Ivinsof Rapid City in 1943. Ralph had been a feed salesman before 
coming to Wall. They still live here but the elevator was sold to Tri-
State Elevator Company of Rapid City in 1962. At the present it is used 
for storage.

[Photo – One of the grain elevators in Wall.]