Ellison Milling

Another business that took advantage of the city’s pro-business policy in the early 1900's was Ellison Milling. This company began as a small milling enterprise in Raymond run by Ephraim P. Ellison. Who had come to Raymond as a leader of the Mormon church. In 1902, he built a flour mill in Raymond and, one year later, another in Magrath. Each of these mills could produce 13 600 kilograms of flour within a 24-hour period. In 1906, Ellison thought the construction of a new mill in Lethbridge would double the production of the other two mills., Built in 1906, the mill still remains in use today.

P19760011011-GP The Ellison mill in Lethbridge, one of the city's oldest and most successful business'.

The Ellison Mills remains almost unchanged since the beginning. Grain is bought from local farmers, milled into flour or livestock feed, and then shipped to markets all over the world. The Winnipeg firm Parrish and Heimbecker purchased the mill in 1975, but made few changes to the mill’s basic operations. Today, the Ellison Mill produces ten times more flour than the first Raymond mill and houses its grain stores in huge concrete silos that can hold up to 400 000 bushels of wheat at one time. Because of its size and location, Ellison mills are one of the most obvious symbols of the city’s dependence on the farming industry.