By Ronald Ahrens

Not every job produced a beautiful enough result for the cover of Farmers Elevator Guide, but Tillotson’s 99,000-bushel elevator at Montevideo, Minn. made the grade in January of 1950. This ingenue hardly derailed the flourishing pinup careers of Marilyn Monroe and Bettie Page. Yet, by its own graces, the comely house at Montevideo merited exposure.

How odd it is that such glory emanated from a state where Tillotson Construction Co. did little work.

It appears to be so because of a combination of factors. For one thing, agricultural practices were different in the northern part of the Grain Belt. For another, extreme winter weather there may have militated against the advantages of concrete construction. And then again, a tough labor climate may have made the company reticent about bidding on additional Minnesota contracts.

It can be established the company was active in Minnesota as early as 1943 when a Help Wanted ad ran in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Yet our study of records reveals just two elevators of reinforced-concrete that the company built in the North Star state. We might be able to explain the small number, but first we must consider the story of a strike threat.

Tillotson started to prepare the build for Farmers Equity Elevator Co. early in the summer of 1949, but six unions–laborers, drivers, electricians, carpenters, iron workers, and equipment operators–filed a strike notice against the company on July 25. So much of Tillotson’s work until then had been on the western prairies and the Great Plains, which is to say it occurred in a kind of void.

Minnesota was a different story. It was emphatically not Kansas or Oklahoma, where laissez-faire practices prevailed. For one thing, Senator Hubert Humphrey was in his first term in Washington, D.C. after being elected on the Democratic-Farmer-Labor ticket. And we speculate that unions were on the prowl, compensating for the loss of government contracts after World War Two.

There’s no record of reactions to the notice by John Evans, who led Farmers Equity, or by the other members of the board of directors: N.F. Nelson, E.J. Jorgenson, Nels Larson, and Clifford Canton. 

My grandfather Reginald Tillotson may or may not have been sympathetic to organized labor, but it’s unlikely that he appreciated the strong-arming attempt by six unions. It led to an unwelcome delay. People were left twiddling their thumbs until matters got settled. The company surely incurred unanticipated costs. Meanwhile, in a continuous-pour operation, how would a small flexible crew observe union work rules?

Filing the strike notice earned the unions a ten-day waiting period before Harry Hanson, the Minnesota labor conciliator, came to Kandiyohi County to hear the case.

As reported in the West Central Tribune, of Willmar, the unions charged bias by Tillotson.

‘The company is discriminating against union members of the various building trade crafts and is refusing to discuss or sign the standard union agreements in effect in this area. Unless an agreement can be reached, we will be forced to strike on or after the date prescribed by law.”

When the meeting was finally held, the iffy situation was extended.

“The State Conciliator ordered that neither party take any action relative to the dispute until a further conciliation meeting has been held. The meeting was set for Tuesday in Montevideo. The Tillotson firm was represented by Wm. Russell and by Attorney Prindell of Montevideo. Union representatives were Ernest Lee, General Drivers; Harry Smith, Construction Laborers; Joe Krech, Electrical Workers; Ed Lynch, Structural Iron Workers; Dale Burchett, Operating Engineers; and a representative of the Carpenters’ local.”

What happened next is unclear except for the fact that the Montevideo elevator was finished. It was built on the plan established earlier in 1949 at Churdan, Iowa, the chief differences being it was a twin-leg house instead of single-leg and the drawform walls reached 102 feet in height instead of 100 feet. The extra leg required additional internal space. Even though both elevators had four tanks measuring 14.5 feet in diameter, total capacity at Churdan was 102,000 bushels–some 3,000 bushels greater than at Montevideo.

Remarks in the construction record indicate special provisions:

The Farmers Elevator Guide cover photo shows two men posing with scaffolding at the 13 x 17-foot driveway door. Piles of sand and gravel are nearby. The hoist remains in place on the roof, and a big sheet of something or other dangles along one side. In the lower left corner we see a wood structure.

Whatever strife was experienced, it was forgotten by the time of the dedication ceremony on Dec. 30. Tom Croll, assistant manager of the Farmers Union Grain Terminal association, came clear from St. Paul to deliver the principal address. (To our regret, none of his remarks were repeated in the Tribune.) There were other dignitaries: the Montevideo mayor, the presidents of the co-op creamery and the co-op cannery, and the assistant superintendent of the Hastings and Dakota division of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (the Milwaukee Road).

After speeches, Mrs. Ernie Hellervik, Basil Hendrickson, and Ruth Nelson performed songs. Following the music, the projector lit up to show promotional films produced by the Minnesota Farmers Union Grain Terminal Association.

In its report on the dedication, the Tribune became a little breathless when reciting the new elevator’s specifications and features.

The 100,000 bushel capacity of the recently completed elevator raises the total capacity of the co-operative to 125,000 bushels. Special features of the new building include its 17 bins, 50 ton and 50 foot scale, two concrete elevating legs, very modern distributing system and two section dump pit, each of which has 400 bushels capacity. Into the all-concrete structure went 8 thousand bags of cement. The firm [Farmers Equity] is particularly proud of its new type of corn drier, with a 400 bushel per hour capacity, and of its two large grain cleaners.

On Google Maps, we found the elevator in a lovely sunset photo that we don’t have the nerve to swipe for display here, so we’re providing the link and one can look for oneself: https://maps.app.goo.gl/fsx2v5ykxDhiZH8q7.

Meanwhile, it’s a pity we only have the cover image but not the full issue of Farmers Elevator Guide, because it would be interesting to see if the cover-girl elevator also appeared on the centerfold.