How Buffalo Helped Transform the Grain Trade
The movement of grain from farms to markets has always depended on transportation and efficient handling systems. In the early 1840s, a major innovation emerged in Buffalo, New York, that would dramatically change the way grain was moved, stored and loaded onto ships.
The story of the modern grain elevator can be traced to Buffalo, a strategically located city positioned at the intersection of two important water transportation routes. One route connected the Great Lakes to the east, ultimately providing access toward New York Harbor. The other connected Buffalo with the growing transportation network of the Great Lakes and points west…