A. S. Arnold was a small but interesting Manitoban company headquartered in Shoal Lake. It began around 1906, apparently having an elevator in 1909. Two years later, it had an elevator in Decker, and added two more in Ipswich and McConnell in 1912 reaching the company’s high water mark (of four elevators). By 1913, however, the elevators at Decker and McConnell had been sold to Bawlf Grain. An elevator was then built at Bryd in 1914, with one following at Kelloe at 1918 getting the company back to the high of four.
These four elevators were kept by Arnold until 1924 or 1925 when Ipswich burned and, when rebuilt for 1925-26, it was a Province elevator. Bryd, Shoal Lake, and Kelloe were sold to Province too. Interestingly, however, Shoal Lake was sold to Wiley-Low the following year, in 1926, and this elevator went to Federal Grain in 1932 when Federal bought Wiley-Low.
Also in 1926, Ipswich, Bryd, and Kelloe were sold by Province to Paterson Grain. The exact reasoning behind these machinations is impossible to know a century later, but it supplies another interesting window into the capitalism and cooperation within the Winnipeg Grain Exchange, known to many farmers as the “House with Closed Shutters”.
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Alfred Stephen Arnold (1865-1936)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Paterson Grain Elevator (Bryd, RM of Yellowhead)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Ipswich Siding Monument (Ipswich, RM of Yellowhead)
This page was prepared by John Everitt.
Page revised: 15 April 2024
