Oversize Drawer 18

These records partially document the origin, growth, and business activities of Colehour Elevator, Incorporated of Mt. Carroll, Illinois during its first eighty years.  Although many of the records of the first century of its operation appear to have been lost, this collection documents the financial development of the elevator quite well, especially during the 1895-1945 period.  Of special note are the files relating to the impact of World... Wars I and II on local grain dealers through federal government programs.  Although the volume of the collection is not great, the information contained in these records is rich in detail and helps to trace the beginnings and growth of a typical, small, local agribusiness in the prairie grain belt of northern Illinois.