The Searle Grain Company was started by Augustus Searle and his son Stewart Searle in 1929. It was headquartered in Melfort, Saskatchewan, and started with 25 elevators.
By 1929, Augustus Searle consolidated the elevators from the Saskatchewan Elevator Co., Home Grain Co., Liberty Grain and their own Searle Grain, into the Searle Grain Company Limited. This resulted in the company owning 277 licensed elevators.
By 1948, Searle expanded to 386 elevators after acquisitioning the Malden Elevator Co., Standard Elevator Co., 13 Quaker Oats elevators, and 51 elevators from Reliance Grain.
By 1967, Searle amalgamated with the Federal Grain Co.
(Special thanks to Saskatchewan Grain Elevators, An Inventory-Based Research Project), By Maureen Pedersen (Sept. 2000) for the above information.
By 2005, there are only 3 known Searle elevators still standing in Alberta.
This one is located in the hamlet of Rowley, Alberta, which is about 35 kilometres North of Drumheller. Rowley was on the Canadian National line which ran from Dinosaur Junction (Munson) to Camrose. (Taken January 2004)
The second is located in Milo, about 30 kilometres NE of Vulcan, Alberta. It was repainted as an Alberta Wheat Pool, and is presently being used by Agricore-United Crop Production Center as a fertilizer storage facility. Milo was on the Canadian Pacific Line which ran from Eltham (located south-east of Blackie) to just north-west of Suffield, Alberta. (Taken May 4, 2005)
This Searle is located on a private farm south of Duffield, Alberta which is located in the Wabamun area. Duffield is on the main Canadian National Line which runs west of Edmonton, Alberta. (Taken by Johnnie Bachusky, 2005)