Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1909-12-02
.R|VERDALE ELEVATOR
A Thriving Institution Manged by ".
[. SwOpe, Formerly OF
Breckenridge

I'm April 1901, Mr.. V. L. Cash, of
Riverdale, laid the foundation for the
Riverdale elevator. No time was lost
in building and the structure was COM
pleted the following month, May,
1901 There is a solid stone founda-
ton under the whole building, the
main elevator part being sixty by
twenty feet and containing most OF
the machinery. AT the north end IS
a ean-to, twenty by twenty, which
contains the office and a room for
the bean pickers. There are accom-
odations for twenty pickers. North OF
and attached to this ean-to Is the
storage department, a building fifty
by twenty feet. To the south of the
main building is the feed mill and
engine room. Here as under the main
building is solid stone foundation.
A twelve horsepower McVicker en-
CINE in this building furnishes the
power for the machinery. All the
main buildings are covered with steel
siding and roofing.
A spur from the Pere Marquette
runs up alongside the elevator. Mr..
| Cash graded the land and then the
Pere Marquette people laid the track.
This was completed shortly after the
elevator had been erected.
The V. F. Cash Company took
charge of the elevator Immediately
after its completion and were ready
to take care of the crop of 1901. At
that time the bean industry around
Riverdale was practically in its in
fancy. AT first they only handled two
or three cars of beans a year. But
with the elevator so conveniently To-
Gated, the farmers saw the advantage
of raising beans so that now from
twenty-five to thirty cars are handled
yearly The elevator has a bin ca
pacity of 10000 bushels.
After having had charge OF the COM
pany for eight years Mr.. Cash decided
to sell out and the elevator was TAX
Ell over August 1st, 1909, by the pres
ent Rverdale Elevator Company. The
stockholders of the company are now
Messrs. ]. B. Crawford, of Ithaca;
ALI. +. Crawford, of Breckenridge;
Thos. Crawford, of Breckenridge,
and w. E. Swope, of Riverdale. The
company is capitalized at $4,000 and
the officers are as follows: President,
| J. B. Crawford; Vice President, Thos.
Crawford; Treasurer, ALI. F. Craw-
ford, and Secretary and General Man
ager, w. E. Swope.
Since taking charge OF the plant
the new management has made many
improvements. The bins, eight in
number, have all been remodeled and
all sheathed with steel on the inside,
which makes them better equipped for
their work About November 1st,
this year, a new coal shed was erect
ed north of the main group of build
ings. The shed has a capacity for
sixty tons. The work was done by
Mr.. VIM. Burkett, of Breckenridge.
At present the plant is well equip
ped to handle beans, rye, wheat, oats,
etc, and is doing so. However, more
beans are handled than any OF the
other products. The feed mill is in
constant operation Local custom
work among the Riverdale people and
nearby farmers is taken care OF. Three
men are kept working constantly in
the main department, while twenty
women are now kept busy in the bean
picking department. All beans are
picked by hand. The season lasts us
ually about two months, during all
of which time the twenty women are
employed.
A car or two week is going out
nowadays while some are also coming
in. These beans are the celebrated
! Michigan white pea beans, the beans
that Van Camp and the other big
Gamers advertise in the leading mag
azines as the best in the world. And
I lately they have been even better than
usual. The quality has been most eX-
cellent. They are of the standard
known to beanmen as one and two
pound pickers, which is about as high
as they run. These beans are shipped
all over the United States.
Carloads have been sent to St.
Louis, No. Pittsburg, Pa, Parkers-
vile, W. Va, and so on, most OF them
going east Nearly every state in the
union has received at one time or
other beans from Riverdale.
Some kidney beans are also hand
led Red kidney beans are at present
a mighty scarce article. They bring
$3.50 per bushel, which is pretty fine
price Seventy-ive thousand bushels
of these have been shipped to one
canning company alone this season.
White pea beans are also scarce for
the farmers are holding them back
for higher prices. And at that they
the bringing $500 a bushel as it is.
Beans seem to be worth raising.
The Riverdale Elevator Company,
however, is not satisfied with carrying
on an elevator business alone They