Anatomy of a prairie giant
The Inglis Grain elevators are examples of industrial design, constructed with a technique called "crib" construction. This method involved stacking layers of 2x6 or 2x8 inch lumber flat, overlapping at the corners much like a log cabin. This created exceptionally strong, solid timber walls capable of withstanding the immense pressure exerted by thousands of bushels of grain. Steel rods were run through the structure to provide additional reinforcement. The average prairie elevator was about 23 meters (75 feet) high and could hold between 30,000 to 40,000 bushels of grain. Wood was the material of choice for its availability but also for its ability to absorb moisture from the grain, which helped in preservation.
The operation of these elevators relied on a simple and effective vertical conveyor system. A farmer's truck or wagon would pull into the driveway and onto a large platform scale. After weighing, the grain was dumped into a receiving pit, sometimes called the "boot". From here, an endless belt equipped with a series of cups or buckets, known as the "leg," would scoop up the grain. Powered first by steam or gasoline engines and later by electric motors, the leg lifted the grain to the very top of the elevator into a small structure called the cupola. Inside the cupola, a distributor, or "gerber," directed the grain down a spout into a specific storage bin. To ship the grain, the process was reversed: gravity fed the grain from the bin back into the pit, and the leg would elevate it again, this time directing it through a spout into a waiting railway boxcar.