In 1910, Grover H. Olmstead (1872-1947) of Chicago, Illinois bought nine quarter-sections of land in southwestern Manitoba. He and his wife Florence arrived at Pierson in 1911 and hired locals to build a large barn, two-storey farmhouse, and a small elevator at this site in what is now the Municipality of Two Borders. Unlike most elevators, it did not move grain using a leg. Grain dumped into a pit on its south side flowed into a concrete basement beneath the elevator. From there, a motor-driven blower pushed it up a metal pipe to the top then into one of the interior bins. Grain was removed when it flowed by gravity through wooden spouts into a wagon parked in the basement. Olmstead sold the property in 1920 and it has passed through several hands since then.
The former Olmstead family grain elevator (November 2018)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
The former Olmstead family grain elevator (November 2018)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Aerial view of the former Olmstead family grain elevator (September 2020)
Source: George Penner
The former Olmstead family grain elevator (September 2021)
Source: Rose Kuzina
Grain blower (left) and delivery spouts (top) under the former Olmstead family grain elevator (November 2018)
Source: Gordon GoldsboroughSite Location (lat/long): N49.28336, W101.32843
denoted by symbol on the map above
1911 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.
Harvests of Time: The Sequel, History of the R.M. of Edward Including Pierson and Lyleton, 2011, pages 378-380.
We thank John Friesen, Bill Warren, George Penner, and Rose Kuzina for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 10 October 2021
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