Manitoba Business: Dominion Elevator Company

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Presidents | Country Elevators | Sources

Incorporated on 21 July 1897, the first directors of this Winnipeg-based grain firm were Daniel Hunter McMillan, William Wallace McMillan, Rodmond Palen Roblin, Robert Muir, Frederick Phillipps, Samuel Alexander McGaw, and Hugh Savigny Paterson. It built over 50 country grain elevators, mostly in Manitoba, but sold 19 of them to the Manitoba Elevator Commission in 1910. The rest of its assets were transferred to the Canadian Consolidated Grain Company in 1928 when it merged with several other companies.

Presidents / General Managers

Period

President / General Manager

1897-1900

Rodmond Palen Roblin (1853-1937)

1900-1908

Frederick “Fred” Phillipps (1857-1932)

1908-1917

William Wallace McMillan (1852-1928)

1917-1918

D. R. Mitchell

1918-1922

Harvey Kavaner (1886-1962)

1923-1928

Charles Edward “Charlie” Hayles (c1885-1952)

Vice-Presidents

Period

Vice-President

1897-1908

William Wallace McMillan (1852-1928)

1908-1928

?

Secretaries

Period

Secretary

1897-1900

Samuel Alexander McGaw (1848-1916)

1900-1928

?

Country Elevators

Location

No.

Rail

Opened

Closed

Capacity
(bushels)

Comments

Altamont

 

CNR

c1895

1910

24,000

Sold to Manitoba Elevator Commission (September 1910)

Arnaud

 

 

1897

 

22,000

 

Austin

 

 

1897

 

25,000

 

Bagot

 

 

1897

 

32,000

 

Baldur

 

 

1897

 

30,000

 

Basswood

 

CPR

1898

1929

30,000

Sold to Forsythe Elevator (1929)

Beausejour

 

 

1921

 

30,000

Merged with Canadian Consolidated (1928)

Belmont

 

 

1898

 

25,000

 

Binscarth

 

 

1898

 

27,000

 

Brandon

 

 

1897

 

40,000

 

Broomhill

 

 

1926

 

30,000

 

Carman

35

 

1897

 

35,000

 

Dand

 

 

1918

 

30,000

 

Darlingford

 

 

1897

 

25,000

 

Dauphin

 

CNR

1896

1910

23,000

Sold to Manitoba Elevator Commission (September 1910)

Deloraine

 

 

1897

 

25,000

 

Edwin

 

 

1921

 

30,000

 

Elkhorn

 

 

1897

 

10,000

 

Elva

 

 

1895

 

25,000

Sold to Manitoba Elevator Commission (1910)

Emerson

 

 

1897

 

30,000

 

Foxwarren

 

 

1898

 

30,000

 

Glenora

 

 

?

 

28,000

Sold to Manitoba Elevator Commission (1910)

Greenway

 

 

1901

 

15,000

Sold to Manitoba Elevator Commission (1910)

Gretna

 

 

1897

 

25,000

 

Hamiota

 

 

1898

 

25,000

 

Harrowby

 

 

1923

 

35,000

 

Hartney

 

 

1900

 

25,000

Sold to Manitoba Elevator Commission (1910)

Hilton

 

 

1901

 

30,000

Sold to Manitoba Elevator Commission (1910)

Homewood

 

 

1901

 

25,000

Sold to Manitoba Elevator Commission (1910)

Killarney

 

 

1897

 

25,000

 

Letellier

 

 

1907

 

24,000

Sold to Manitoba Elevator Commission (1910)

Makinak

 

 

1898

 

10,000

 

Mariapolis

 

 

1899

 

6,000

 

Melbourne

 

 

1898

 

20,000

 

Miami

 

 

1897

 

23,000

Sold to Manitoba Elevator Commission (1910)

Minnedosa

 

 

1898

 

10,000

 

Morden

 

 

1897

 

25,000

 

Napinka

 

 

1904

 

28,000

Sold to Manitoba Elevator Commission (1910)

Neepawa

 

 

1897

 

25,000

 

Nesbitt

 

 

1895

 

28,000

Sold to Manitoba Elevator Commission (1910)

Ninga

 

 

?

 

24,000

Sold to Manitoba Elevator Commission (1910)

Niverville

 

 

1901

 

20,000

 

Oakburn

 

 

1900

 

30,000

Sold to Manitoba Elevator Commission (1910)

Oak Lake

 

 

1897

 

25,000

 

Oak River

 

 

1898

 

30,000

 

Oakville

 

 

1897

 

20,000

 

Ochre River

 

 

1897

 

4,000

 

Ogilvie

 

 

1898

 

13,000

 

Pierson

 

 

1898

 

20,000

 

Plum Coulee

 

 

1897

 

25,000

 

Poplar Point

 

 

1898

 

9,000

 

Portage la Prairie

 

 

1897

 

30,000

 

Roland

 

 

1897

 

25,000

Sold to Manitoba Elevator Commission (1910)

Rosebank

 

 

1897

 

30,000

 

Rounthwaite

 

 

1898

 

22,000

 

St. Jean Baptiste

 

 

1899

 

30,000

 

Shoal Lake

 

 

1887

 

22,000

Sold to Manitoba Elevator Commission (1910)

Sidney

 

 

1898

 

20,000

 

Silver Plains

 

 

1899

 

15,000

Sold to Manitoba Elevator Commission (1910)

Solsgirth

 

 

1924

 

30,000

 

Sperling

 

 

1912

 

25,000

 

Steinbach

 

 

1899

 

20,000

 

Stockton

 

 

1895

 

22,000

Sold to Manitoba Elevator Commission (1910)

Stonewall

 

 

1897

 

6,000

 

Strathclair

 

 

1898

 

30,000

 

Treherne

 

 

1895

 

24,000

Sold to Manitoba Elevator Commission (1910)

Virden

 

 

1897

 

40,000

 

Wassewa

 

 

1918

 

30,000

 

Wawanesa

 

 

1897

 

30,000

 

Westbourne

 

 

1898

 

8,000

 

Whitewater

 

 

1897

 

15,000

 

Winkler

 

 

1897

 

26,000

 

Sources:

Review of negotiations that led to government ownership and operation of elevators in Manitoba and cause of failure by the Executive Manitoba Grain Growers’ Association, c1910.

“City briefs,” Winnipeg Tribune, 16 March 1918, page 6.

“Sir Rodmond Roblin defendant in court,” Manitoba Free Press, 30 April 1924, page 11.

“Notice of application to surrender charter,” Winnipeg Tribune, 23 September 1929, page 15.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 5 September 2020