Holland E. Toles (1894-1941) opened a grain elevator in this area in 1926, and Vernon Harman joined him in 1938. After Toles' death, Harman formed a new partnership with John F. and Holl Ed Toles. World War II, increased irrigation, and a federal grain program created a need for larger storage facilities, and construction of this six-unit concrete elevator began on March 1, 1945. Labor was provided by the U.S. government, using 50 Italian prisoners of war from a camp near Hereford under Geneva Convention provisions, and the project was completed on July 10, 1945.