Wheat harvest is well underway in Southwest Kansas, and all those beautiful kernels of grain must go somewhere. Most are hauled by truck to area grain elevators. One of the first elevators in Lakin was constructed in 1922 near the corner of Lakin Street and Railroad Avenue. Nearly 55 years later, the 100-foot tall elevator caused quite a stir in the Lakin community after hurricane force winds caused the structure to swing, sway and twist.
The abandoned landmark had already shown signs of weakness due to old age and years of use. Add to that, the jarring and vibrations from thousands of Santa Fe trains as they rumbled by. Talks about demolishing the structure were already in progress prior to the high winds that arrived in March of 1977. As winds began gusting to 80 m.p.h. on Friday, March 11, Kearny County Sheriff M.L. McCue cordoned off the area to vehicle and foot traffic, and residents were warned not to travel within two blocks of the elevator. Residents at Pioneer Home, which sat 85 feet across the street to the east, were evacuated to the Veterans Memorial Building.
Law enforcement officials kept vigil over the weakened structure throughout the weekend. A four-foot bow developed about 30-feet from the ground, and some of the sheathing was blown off, exposing the wooden walls underneath. Come Monday, the structure was still standing, but Co-op officials reached an agreement with insurance company officials and got the go-ahead to knock down the elevator. A crew of experts from Saint Lyne Industries had been standing by since Saturday to get the liability release. With the assistance of a giant crane from Garden City and two winch trucks, the elevator came tumbling down on Monday about 3:30 p.m.
According to The Lakin Independent, “The building gave up gracefully and fell to its demise with dignity. There were no complications and no injuries nor damages.” The sheriff said “It made a little noise, and pigeons were still flying – or should I stay staggering – out minutes later.” The 24 Pioneer residents were back at the home 30 minutes later.
The elevator was built for H.S. Darr, a grain, seed and feed dealer who dealt in wheat, broomcorn, milo, cane seed, rye seed and more. The structure originally held 11,000 to 12,000 bushels of grain, and the dump was suitable for either wagon or truck use. The machinery within was operated by electricity. A blower was used to elevate the grain, and a small elevator was installed for the use of the mechanic in going to the top to look after the machinery. The first floor was used as a grinding and sacking room, and all the bins were overhead. The machinery pit, which ran below the high-water line, was re-enforced with cement walls. The entire structure was covered with galvanized iron.
According to The Independent, the Equity Exchange owned the structure following Darr, and then the elevator was purchased by the Farmers Cooperative of Lakin and Kendall in 1945. The building was remodeled in 1947, and 30 to 40 feet was added to its height. The elevator served the Co-op until the first concrete silos were completed in the 1950s.
SOURCES: Archives of The Lakin Independent, Garden City Telegram and Hutchinson News.