I have been off chasing storms for the past week, and thus have not posted much. Upon my return trip from Dallas, TX to Rio Rancho, NM, I made a quick stop in Wichita Falls, TX to take photos of a semi-abandoned grain elevator.
I cannot find much information on this elevator, though at least part of it is still in use. While I took pictures, several grain trucks showed up and received grain at the loading bay. The loading bay used to be for train cars (and may still get used for such), but at least one side of the bay was suitable for truck traffic. The scale was also still in use.
Using the great power of Google, I ran across Roy Luck, who has several artistic photos of the grain elevator on his Flickr site.
A local radio station also ran a poll to see if people wanted to the elevator torn down.
I also saw a few listings on Emporis; Attebury Grain Elevator, Wichita Mill, and Attebury Silo, which are part of this complex. I’m not sure where the silo ends and the elevator begins, however. On site, there was clearly a multistory building (Wichita Mill) and an elevator/silo.
What I can piece together is that the Wichita Valley Milling Company was purchased by Joseph Kemp and Frank Kell (1) in 1896. Its name was changed to Wichita Mill and Elevator Company (1), which is listed in some of the Emporis links above under “alternate names”. For what it’s worth, the mill is located on Kell Blvd, as well. The whole operation was sold to General Mills in 1928, but then at some point transferred to Attebury.
(1) http://www.tshaonline.org, accessed 5/30/14.