Where Was The First ACO Silo?

A number of years ago, I purchased a brochure about making ACO silos through a source on the Internet. The brochure was pretty cool, but I basically stuck it in a folder and put it away in a filing cabinet for a number of years. Recently, I have been looking at ways to display the ACO silo material I have. The first thing I did was make a 20 x 30 inch poster about ACO silos, showing most of the ACO information and pictures I have collected. If you are looking for a colorful and informative souvenir about the most prolific Minnesota-based silo company in the early 1900s, this is for you! Check it out on my Shop page.

When I was making the ACO poster, I actually spent more time reading this brochure. It mentioned that the first ACO silo was built for Carl Olstad of Hanska, Minnesota, in 1904. Ochs Brick & Tile Company was located in Springfield, Minnesota, so I was a little surprised to find out the first ACO silo was built a fair distance from Springfield. I did some research and found out more information out about Carl Olstad and his farm, which is actually west of Hanska, Minnesota. Carl died in 1960, but there is still evidence of his support of Ochs brick around his old farmstead today.

So the latest information I’ve uploaded to the website is about Carl Olstad and the first ACO silo. Check it out in the Springfield Brick page. There is a lot of good information there, including a photo and schematic of the original silo and barn. Carl and Adolph C. Ochs must have had a good working relationship, as Carl gave Adolph a testimonial on the quality of his clay block silo. This was the first of hundreds of ACO silos, so it is a nice memorial to both gentlemen.