The long reach of the Krueger and Steinfest back hoe ripped at the former Farmers Elevator mill earlier this week. |
Century old feed mill falls Nov. 21, 2009 A historic building tumbled to the ground this week on Irving Street in Antigo — and quite a battle it was.
Krueger and Steinfest, an Antigo firm, attacked the massive structure dating more than 100 years into the business history of the community. And Shane Krueger said that he and his crew had quite a time getting it down.
“It was really built well,” he said, suggesting that the people who did the planning and construction anticipated a long life for the feed milling and storage complex.
Earlier this year the City of Antigo purchased the mill as part of a plan to own lands along Spring Brook for future development. There had been some discussion about a residential development on the area.
The building, known as the Farmers Elevator, dates before the arrival of automobiles in the Antigo area. Organized in 1905, farmers relied on the feed milling firms to process their feed needs and at one point there were six of them in the city. They not only served the farm community, but homemakers and retailers with an assortment of products.
According to newspaper accounts, the mill was first locatedon Dorr Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues along the Chicago and Northwestern corridor. But serious crashes involving trains and autos at the crossing, with the giant building causing sight problems, led to a project to pick it up and move it to Irving Street in 1927.
The mill has had a number of owners, A.L. Lauby in 1905, then Fred Ophoven, who fought but finally was forced to make the move to Irving Street.
Art Clifford bought it from Ophoven and he was followed by his son-in-law Jerry Duchac, until the sale in 1978 to the Michels family.
With times changing in the local farm community, the Michels blended their operations into the Antigo Country Store in the 600 block of Superior Street — clearing the way for this week’s demolition project.
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