The first two elevators were built in late summer of 1912, one by the Montana Elevator Company, completed about the same time as a second, smaller, elevator was completed. This, the third in Ryegate, came some unknown time later.
With a likely capacity of no more than 40,000 bushels, this elevator apparently never had need of expansion, as it never had an annex added, nor silos built alongside. Not long after this elevator was built, more were built in neighboring towns resulting in much grain which may have come to the Ryegate elevators being delivered to those instead. By 1914, though, the Ryegate elevators had handled 250,000 bushels of wheat, a pretty fair amount for a small elevator. The news article below attests to the good crops achieved in the Ryegate area and the amount of grain the elevator was capable of handling.
The elevator is still in use, a sign on the office building indicating it to be presently operated by
Peters Inc., a Wilbur-Ellis Partner who supplies feed, seed, fertilizer and "crop protection products". News articles from 1919 indicate that this elevator may have been built by the Ryegate Elevator Company and purchased by the
Farmers' Elevator Company, a farmer owned public company, in June of 1919.
MUCH WHEAT HANDLED BY RYEGATE ELEVATOR
Over 200,000 Bushels Shipped From West End Station This Season
The Roundup Record, December 04, 1914
That the Ryegate country has raised a splendid amount of wheat this year is backed up by the amount the local elevator has handled which is near the mark of 250,000 and this does not include the other small grains of which there were some.
It is estimated that there is still quite a large amount of grain yet to be hauled and taking into consideration that it took many thousand bushels to reseed what a "dry country" will do when it comes to growing wheat. This is not all. A good deal of wheat that was raised in what is termed the "Ryegate country" did not come to Ryegate for shipment this year. Franklin, six miles north of Ryegate, built a new elevator this fall as did Barber six miles to the west. These two elevators have had their share. Besides some went to Cushman and Burrgoyne.
This is practically the second year of grain growing in this country and the total yield will probably reach around half a million bushels. Much land is yet to be broken and while this will not be all seeded to wheat it will be used for other kinds of farming, stock raising, etc.
Good prices this year has helped the farmer wonderfully to clean up the debts he was forced to accumulate starting in a new country where it takes a reasonable amount of time to get conditions where there is a surplus. The "Ryegate country" is making good and as the years go by it will continue to make better.
From the Roundup Record