Grain elevator's past

REARDAN - For most Lincoln County locals, the iconic concrete grain elevators stand to define our home towns. When one is lucky enough to fly over the area, they first look to the elevators to identify which town they are flying over.

The six at Reardan have stood there for nearly 70 years. But how did they get there? Were they just born or plopped down there?

In Jan. 1952, Reardan woke to realize that its oldest building and best-known landmark had burned to the ground.

The Washington Grain and Milling Company's (or Centennial Mills' then) flour mill was gone. The town had also lost a grain elevator with a capacity of 100,000 bushels.

By the end of April, the Reardan Grain Growers, now part of HighLine Grain Growers, contracted Larson-Bradshaw of Spokane to construct two concrete grain elevators with a capacity of 314,000 bushels.

The foundations and dump pit were constructed. Then the two circular slip forms of steel and wood were built upon the foundation floor. For eight days concrete was poured into those forms continuously.

Using a technique developed in the early 1900s in Buffalo, the slip form was jacked upward at a rate of 6 inches per hour. Concrete was added to the top of the form and was worked to remove air bubbles and to add steel rebar.

Concrete at the bottom of the form was set up, though not completely cured. Screw jacks were placed every seven feet along the form. A jackman would have up to 12 jacks to tend to and had to give each jack one turn every two and a half minutes.

There was a whistle to prompt the jackmen to complete their assignments. Progress had to be steady and consistent to keep the forms level and flat.

Pouring continuously in this fashion allowed the concrete to form tight chemical bonds through the entire structure.

When they got to the 100-foot level, they poured a concrete roof to cap off the cylinder. Guardrails were added.

A head house was built to handle the top end of a continuous belt of bread pan like cups that carried the grain from the pit. Lifted grain was diverted to a particular chute for filling a bin, rail car or transport truck.

1953 was a bumper crop and wheat was dumped on the ground. In 1954, the Grain Growers contracted to have four more elevators built south of the first two to store an additional 670,000 bushels.

This was the beginning of the Green Revolution where the existing farming methods were changing to use a genetic hybrid wheat developed by Orville Vogel at WSU.

It resisted the devastating rust and smut fungi. It was shorter to grow faster and stronger.

Most importantly, the new breed could tolerate high doses of nitrogen-based fertilizer, allowing more vigorous growth even with limited moisture. Farmers could easily double their yield.

In 1961 Reardan was engaged in a massive clean-up and beautification effort in preparation for the World's Fair in Seattle.

Old buildings were razed, and welcome signs raised.

The elevators were painted including the words Reardan Grain Growers on the east and west faces.

An icon was born.