Livestock, grain and feed, and the elevator: the rail-era farm trade in town

1875 – 1967; present-day negative

The grain trade's test returns positive — a managed elevator in 1943 — and its whole course stands as this section's open file. The livestock dealers print first: L. S. Pearse, "Farmer and Stock Dealer" (atlas 1875), with L. S. and N. W. Pearce [sic] as cattle dealers and "live stock" across the 1880s gazetteers; John N. Rupel, live stock (1882–83, 1884–85) — the Rupel spelling standing apart from the hotel Ruperts, not merged; Frank C. Fetzer, live stock, and Levi Smith, live stock breeder (both 1916–17). Grain and feed enters the directory in 1916–17: Finch Bros, grain and feed, in the town list and again in the same edition's classified section under "Flour & Feed — Retail" — the earliest directory proof of the organized grain trade reached; the Finch name also built the Finch Block and farmed Section 36 from 1849 (Martin and Newton Finch, atlas 1875). The elevator itself: the Grain & Feed Journals Consolidated of 14 July 1943 records that "David Crutchfield, manager of the North Liberty elevator, was elected president of the North Liberty Business Men's [Association]" — the town had an elevator with a named manager in 1943, and a business men's association electing officers that year; the item was read in snippet, and the elevator's owner, site, and build date are not established by it. In 1967 two sponsor ads stand side by side — "NORTH LIBERTY FEED & GRAIN INC." and "NORTH LIBERTY ELEVATOR — 'A Good Place To Sell Grain'" — one firm under two names or two firms, not stated, printed as two attestations. Present day is a negative: no elevator, feed, or grain firm appears on the town links list. The elevator's whole course stands as a named gap; its settlers are the 1943 journal item read whole, the Sanborn sheets at the rail-side footprint, and the two railroads' valuation records.