Historic grain elevator in Rolla comes down

ROLLA, N.D. (KMOT) – A part of Rolette County history that could be more than a century old is no more.

The town’s north grain elevator came down Thursday morning.

Danielle Mickelson, with the Rolla Job Development Authority, said it’s believed that the elevator was built in the early 1900s, and in the early 1950s it was moved from its spot near Main Street to where it was until today.

Mikkelsen Aggregates of Rolla leveled the structure.

“We knock down some exteriors walls, about half of the exterior wall, and then we run a cable through that, and pull it with the excavators to crumble the inside walls to get it to fall over,” said Ryan Skoog, with Mikkelsen Aggregates of Rolla.

There are still three storage bins that need to come down in the next week or so. The sheet metal from the sides of the elevator will be recycled, and the rest will go to the landfill.

Skoog said asbestos abatement took place before the demolition.

Legacy Cooperative owns the property. A fuel and convenience store is planned for this location.

The city still has a south grain elevator that will remain in operation.

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