Manitoba Business: Federal Grain Limited

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Presidents | Vice-Presidents | Country Elevators | Sources

In mid-1929, nine grain companies merged to form the Federal Grain Limited: Stewart Terminals Limited, Consolidated Elevator Company, Federal Grain Company, International Elevator Company, Union Grain Company, Northwestern Elevator Company, McLaughlin Elevator Company, Topper Grain Company, and Brooks Elevator Company. The three key players in the formation of Federal Grain were John Charles Gage, Henry Eugene Sellers, and James Stewart.

After it was incorporated, Federal Grain acquired the country elevators of Maple Leaf Milling Company (1929), Gold Grain Company (?), and Wiley Low and Company (1932), bringing the company’s holdings to 355 country elevators.

In June 1967, Federal Grain merged with the Searle Grain Company, combining Searle’s 457 country elevators with the 741 belonging to Federal at that time, along with its three terminal elevators at Thunder Bay (Ontario) and one terminal elevator at Vancouver (British Columbia). Also merged into the new corporation was the Alberta Pacific Grain Company which had been a subsidiary of Federal Grain since 1943. The combined entity became Canada’s largest privately-owned grain company, with over 1,500 country elevators with a total storage of over 110 million bushels.

In early 1972, the company’s grain assets were purchased for $90 million by Manitoba Pool Elevators, Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, and Alberta Wheat Pool while the remaining corporate assets were held by Federal Industries Limited. Manitoba Pool took over the operation of Federal’s country elevators in Manitoba.

A certificate for 100 shares in Federal Grain

A certificate for 100 shares in Federal Grain (June 1971)
Source: Alexander Sellers

Chairmen

Period

Chairman

1929-1930

James Stewart (1881-1941)

1930-1955

?

1955-1966

Henry Eugene “Harry” Sellers (1886-1970)

1966-1972

Augustus Searle Leach (1909-1993)

Presidents

Period

President

1929-1930

John Charles Gage (1876-1930)

1931-1955

Henry Eugene “Harry” Sellers (1886-1970)

1955-1963

Howard Cecil MacGregor (1893-1978)

1963-1972

George Henry Sellers (1914-1986)

Vice-Presidents

Period

Vice-President

1929-1931

Henry Eugene “Harry” Sellers (1886-1970)

1931-1935

Alexander Thomson (1878-1950)

1935-1938

?

1938-1948

Victor Weld Tryon (1880-1967)

1948-1953

Howard Cecil MacGregor (1893-1978)

1953-1963

George Henry Sellers (1914-1986)

1963-1967

?

1967-1972

Stewart A. Searle Jr.

1967-1972

John T. Tryon

General Managers

Period

General Manager

1929-1930

Alexander Campbell “Alex” Michael (1887-1935)

Country Elevators (Manitoba)

Location

Rail

Opened

Closed

Capacity
(bushels)

Comments

Alonsa

CNR

1946

1961

26,500

 

Altamont

CNR

1932

1972

65,800

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932), sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

Altona

CPR

1929

1972

126,600

 

Amaranth

CNR

1946

1972

78,900

Sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

Angusville 1

CNR

1967

1972

90,000

 

Angusville 2

CNR

1969

1972

27,000

Bought from United Grain Growers (October 1968)

Arborg

CPR

1967

1972

72,000

Sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

Argyle

CNR

1932

1972

56,200

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932), sold to Manitoba Pool (1972), dismantled (1972-1973)

Arrow River 1

CPR

1929

1972

50,600

 

Arrow River 2

CPR

1940

1958

20,000

Traded from Manitoba Pool (1940)

Basswood

CPR

1929

1942

24,000

Acquired from Union Grain (1929)

Benito 1

CNR

1966

1972

68,000

Acquired from Searle Grain (1966), sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

Benito 2

CNR

1969

1972

75,000

 

Bergen (Winnipeg)

CPR

1966

1972

153,400

Sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

Birch River

CNR

1967

1972

116,000

 

Birtle

CPR

1929

1935

18,000

 

Bowsman 1

CNR

1967

1972

91,000

Acquired from Searle Grain (1966), sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

Bowsman 2

CNR

1967

1972

25,000

Acquired from Searle Grain (1966), sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

Brandon 1

CPR

1929

1972

24,100

Sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

Brandon 2

?

1960

1972

74,900

 

Brandon 3

?

1964

1972

120,000

Sold to Manitoba Pool (1972), sold to Pioneer Grain (1973)

Broad Valley

CNR

1940

1972

50,700

Sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

Carroll

CPR

1932

1935

20,000

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932)

Cartwright 1

CPR

1948

1972

?

 

Cartwright 2

CPR

1929

1972

?

Bought from Paterson Grain (1969)

Centennial Siding (Winnipeg)

CPR

1968

1972

55,000

Sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

Clearwater

CPR

1932

1972

48,000

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932)

Crandall

CPR

1929

1939

21,000

Bought from Ogilvie Flour (1928), traded to Manitoba Pool (1940)

Cypress River

CPR

1929

1972

84,000

 

Darlingford

CPR

1932

1972

83,500

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932)

Dauphin

CNR

1967

1972

68,000

Acquired from Searle Grain (1966)

Deloraine

CPR

1929

1972

117,900

Sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

East Selkirk

CPR

1969

1972

30,000

Acquired from Searle Grain (1966), sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

Erickson

CNR

1967

1972

71,000

Demolished (?)

Ethelbert

CNR

1931

1952

68,000

 

Fallison

CPR

1932

1962

23,200

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932), dismantled (1962) and lumber used to build elevator at Snowflake

Fisher Branch 1

CNR

1931

1972

79,700

 

Fisher Branch 2

CNR

1950

1951

53,000

 

Fork River

CNR

1929

1972

66,100

Bought from Brooks Elevator (1929), sold to Manitoba Pool (1972), demolished (?)

Foxwarren

CPR

1929

1942

25,000

 

Garland

CNR

1967

1972

36,000

Acquired from Searle Grain (1966)

Golden Stream

CNR

1932

1972

34,400

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932), sold to Manitoba Pool (1972), closed and moved to private site

Goodlands

CPR

1929

1972

75,500

 

Gretna

CPR

1929

1972

65,100

 

Grosse Isle

CNR

1932

1970

26,900

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932), moved (July 1971)

Helston

CNR

1932

1934

25,000

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932)

Hodgson

CNR

1949

1972

29,600

 

Holland

CPR

1929

1972

89,200

 

Holmfield

CPR

1932

1947

25,000

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932), sold to Harrison Milling (late 1940s)

Horndean

CPR

1928

1972

48,200

 

La Riviere

CPR

1932

1972

75,300

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932), sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

Lakeland

CNR

1946

1972

78,600

 

Langruth

CNR

1932

1972

103,800

Bought from Western Grain (1932)

Largs

CPR

?

?

?

Sold to Manitoba Pool (July 1943)

Lauder

CPR

1932

1949

45,000

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932)

Laurier

CNR

1929

1972

72,000

Acquired from Union Grain (1929)

Libau

CNR

1967

1972

92,000

Acquired from Searle Grain (1966), sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

Linklater

CPR

1932

1932

25,000

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932)

Lower Fort Garry

CPR

1966

1972

38,000

Acquired from Searle Grain (1966)

McCreary

CNR

1929

1972

71,300

Acquired from Union Grain (1929)

Menzie

CNR

1931

1949

27,000

 

Miami 1

CNR

1932

1972

76,500

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932), sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

Miami 2

CNR

1970

1972

55,000

Bought from United Grain Growers (March 1970), sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

Mile 10.6 (Winnipeg)

CNR

1962

1972

154,700

Sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

Mile 142.4 (Winnipeg)

CNR

1968

1972

134,000

 

Miniota

CPR

1929

1943

22,000

Bought from Maple Leaf Milling (1929), sold to Lake of the Woods (1944)

Minitonas

CNR

1967

1972

115,000

Acquired from Searle Grain (1966)

Mowbray

CPR

1932

1962

49,800

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932)

Myrtle

CNR

1932

1933

25,000

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932)

Napinka

CPR

1932

1935

26,000

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932)

Nesbitt

CPR

1927

1949

30,000

 

Ninga

CPR

1932

1947

20,000

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932)

Norgate

CNR

1929

1964

36,100

Acquired from Union Grain (1929)

Notre Dame de Lourdes

CNR

1941

1972

78,400

 

Oakburn

CNR

1931

1972

71,900

 

Pilot Mound

CPR

1929

1972

81,300

 

Plum Coulee 1

CPR

1929

1972

95,200

 

Plum Coulee 2

CPR

1929

1951

52,000

 

Purves

CPR

1929

1972

72,400

 

Riverton

CPR

1967

1972

27,000

 

Roblin

CNR

?

?

?

Sold to Manitoba Pool (July 1943)

Rosenfeld

CPR

1929

1972

111,400

 

Rounthwaite

CNR

1927

1972

47,900

Sold to Manitoba Pool (1972), destroyed by fire (July 1972)

St. Boniface (Nicholas Avenue, Winnipeg)

CPR

1967

1972

273,000

Seed cleaning plant sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

Sandy Lake

CNR

?

?

?

Sold to Manitoba Pool (July 1943)

Searle / Pacific Junction (Winnipeg)

CNR

1967

1972

285,000

 

Sevick

CNR

1929

1943

22,000

Sold to Manitoba Pool (July 1943)

Sewell

CPR

1929

1968

45,500

Used only for storage (1967-1968), closed (August 1968)

Shoal Lake

CPR

1932

1967

63,100

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932)

Silverton

CNR

?

?

?

Sold to Manitoba Pool (July 1943)

Snowflake

CPR

1932

1972

61,200

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932)

Somerset

CNR

1932

1933

20,000

Sold to Paterson Grain (1934)

Stephenfield

CNR

1932

1964

16,000

Bought from Wiley Low (1932), destroyed by fire (September 1935), new elevator (1936)

Stockton

CPR

1932

1970

32,100

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932), demolished (1972)

Swan Lake

CNR

1932

1972

111,500

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932), sold to Manitoba Pool (1960)

Swan River

CNR

1967

1972

136,000

Merged with Searle Grain (1967), sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

The Pas

CNR

1967

1972

36,000

Sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

Warren

CNR

1932

1972

80,800

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932)

Windygates

CPR

1932

1962

19,400

Bought from Wiley Lowe (1932)

Winkler

CPR

1929

1972

125,500

Sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)

Winnipeg

CPR

1938

1972

76,000

 

Winnipeg (Seed Division)

CPR

1946

1972

?

 

Sources:

“Nine local grain firms in big merger,” Winnipeg Tribune, 11 July 1929, page 1.

“Federal Grain Limited,” Winnipeg Tribune, 22 July 1929, page 19.

“James Stewart quits office as President,” Manitoba Free Press, 18 August 1930, page 16.

“Heads Federal Grain,” Manitoba Free Press, 28 January 1931, page 15.

“H. E. Sellers re-elected President Federal Grain Ld.,” Winnipeg Free Press, 8 October 1931, page 18.

“Huge grain merger planned here,” Winnipeg Free Press, 26 July 1966, page 1.

“Grain co. merger complete,” Winnipeg Free Press, 15 June 1967, page 1.

“Pools bid for Federal,” Winnipeg Free Press, 17 February 1972, page 61.

Grain: The Entrepreneurs by Charles W. Anderson, Winnipeg: Watson & Dwyer Publishing, 1991.

Federal Grain Limited, Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan

We thank Mike Lisowski, Nathan Kramer, Alexander Sellers, Dave MacGregor, and John Everitt for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 27 March 2024