Hickok Elevator

Grains Handled

Wheat, Milo, Corn, Soybeans, White Wheat

HICKOK HISTORY

Three years after building the first wooden elevator in Ulysses, Dan and Jerry Sullivan decided to build another elevator at the Hickok switch, eight miles east of Ulysses. The wooden elevator was built in 1926. This kept Jerry scooping grain at Hickok and Dan scooping at Ulysses.

During the dust bowl (1933-1936), the Sullivan’s were forced to close all but the Ulysses terminal. Elevator properties became almost worthless. Dan and Jerry were forced to re-evaluate their decision to become grainmen many times as the dust blew across empty fields. The dust storms subsided, though, and grain prices rose.

In 1955, the Sullivan’s built a concrete elevator with a storage capacity of 741,000 bushels at Hickok.

In 1994, Sullivan, Inc. purchased a concrete elevator at Hickok from Bunge, Corp. making two concrete structures at Hickok. This elevator had a storage capacity of 200,000 bushels.

On June 1, 2006, the Hickok Elevator became a part of the Garden City Co-op, Inc. when the Co-op purchased Sullivan, Inc. The Hickok Elevator has a total storage capacity of 946,000 bushels.