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 (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 (1967), sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)
Bowsman 2	CNR	1967	1972	25,000	Acquired from Searle Grain (1967), 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 (1967)
Deloraine	CPR	1929	1972	117,900	Sold to Manitoba Pool (1972)
East Selkirk	CPR	1969	1972	30,000	Acquired from Searle Grain (1967), 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 (1967)
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 (1967), 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 (1967)
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 (1967)
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 (Logan at McPhillips)	CPR	1938	1972	76,000	Bought from Wiley Lowe (1937), demolished (July 1973)
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.

[photo of elevator demolition], Winnipeg Free Press, 21 July 1973, page 3.

Grain: The Entrepreneurs by Charles W. Anderson, Winnipeg: Watson & Dwyer, 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: 31 December 2024