The entry in Wikipedia talks of the elevator burning.   That was the first elevator.  This second elevator in the photos burned in the mid 1970’s.   It was due to be rebuilt, but funding problems arose.

The village of Delft was established as a railroad station in 1892. Ten years later, on June 18, 1902, the village was officially platted by the Inter-State Land Company.[2][4] The community was named after the city of Delft, in the Netherlands, previous to which it was called Wilhelmine.[4][5]

Delft was a station on the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railroad, which ran through the southwestern part of the township, en route from Jeffers to Bingham Lake. Shortly after the original elevator was built, the village had its first fire which burned the Farmers Elevator Company, its coal sheds, and the railroad company’s stockyards – all of which were rebuilt immediately after. At one time, there was also a general store, hardware store, a general farm implement sales business,[2] as well as a creamery.[6]

Established in a predominantly Mennonite area, by the 1950s approximately 400 members of Mennonite Brethren and General Conference Mennonite churches resided within a 5-mile radius of the little community’s two Mennonite churches. The Carson Mennonite Brethren Church, founded in 1875 and closed in 2005, and the now independent (as of ca. 2002) Immanuel Mennonite Church, originally established in 1940.[7][8]

A post office began operation in Delft in 1903. It was closed in 1993.[9]

Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delft,_Minnesota

Delft COOP Elevator

The spring planting was held up this year due to excessive rain.   The beans should be a little further along that this, but the brown drying soybeans would not have been as colorful.

Soybeans in Cottonwood County MN Sept 2019

Farmhouse Rural Cottonwood County

Farmhouse Rural Cottonwood County

I’ve taken a few photos of this house and really like the style of it.  I think it could have been quite nice in it’s day.  In fact it could look stunning redone with cedar shake shingles and a new exterior and paint.  I’m sure it’s been open to the elements so long though that there is no point.  It would need a complete rebuild.

Still waiting for Spring to arrive and green things up so I can capture scenes like this traditional red barn.

Westbrook Farmer’s Elevator October 2011

A going concern since the late 1800’s or early 1900’s it finally succumbed to the times and closed it’s doors in the early part of the 21st century.  Over the years I think a couple of primary reasons for closing the doors were the loss of the railroad that ran beside the elevator and the availability of semi trucks to easily haul the grain a little further to a an elevator that was thriving – which usually meant one situated next to a rail line.

I’m not sure how many we’re employed here when it was thriving, but regardless, any job loss in a small town is felt.  Westbrook Farmer’s Elevator, you will be missed.