HINSDALE — For generations, grain elevators have been fixtures of Montana's prairie skyline.
In Hinsdale, one of those landmarks is slowly disappearing — but not with a wrecking ball.
Paul Van Marter is taking the century-old grain elevator apart by hand, board by board, reclaiming as much of the lumber and other material as he can.
WATCH: VAN MARTER RECLAIMING OLD GRAIN ELEVATORS
“I reclaim the lumber out of these old grain elevators to make everything from wainscoting to trim to flooring, cabinets and even down to fencing and hog pens,” Van Marter said.
The process is anything but quick.
Van Marter relocates to the town that houses the elevator and works mostly by himself, occasionally hiring help. He estimates it takes him two to three years to completely dismantle an elevator, remove the nails and prepare the lumber to be used again.
But for Van Marter, the time is worth it.
“It's been in the granary for 100 years, and now it can be in their house for decades,” he said.
From one old beam to 10 grain elevators
Van Marter didn't set out to make a career of dismantling grain elevators.
He spent 19 years sawing logs before a customer brought him a 100-year-old beam and asked him to cut boards from it.
Van Marter remembers pulling the first board off the saw and staring at it in awe. The customer told him century-old wood was better than anything he could buy new.
Not long afterward, Van Marter learned about an old grain elevator a farmer planned to knock down and burn. He asked if he could salvage some of the wood.
Instead, he ended up taking the entire building down.
"That was the first one,” VanMarter said. “I've done nine after that.”
His work has since taken him to grain elevators in Oregon, Washington and several Montana communities, including Portage, Malta, Wilsall and now Hinsdale.
More than an old building
To someone passing through a small Montana town, an unused grain elevator might look like an abandoned building.
Van Marter sees something different.
“Oh, I see generations of families,” he said. “It was, like, pivotal to their existence.”
Before modern semis and today's larger farming equipment, grain elevators served as hubs for their communities.
Farmers brought smaller loads of grain into town, bought feed and crossed paths with friends and neighbors.
Van Marter said the Hinsdale elevator was standing by at least 1920, although its exact construction date isn't known.
“Just think about, you know, through Prohibition, the Depression, the World War, all of that,” he said. “The stories of the families that depended on these granaries — it means something to them.”
People still stop Van Marter to share those stories, including memories of riding with their grandparents in wheat trucks to the elevator as children.
But farming has changed. Van Marter said many of the old elevators can no longer accommodate modern equipment and, once they're no longer being used, their futures can become uncertain.
“I'm saving it because otherwise it's going to go away anyway,” he said.
A second life
Van Marter estimates he still has about a year and a half of work remaining in Hinsdale.
Montana winters slow him down, but not necessarily by much.
“You've got to on the Hi-Line,” he said of working through the cold.
As the elevator comes down, Van Marter said much of its material is finding new uses close to home.
“I try to make sure that some of it stays local,” he said. “Here I've been really fortunate. There's a lot of it just being reused right locally here.”
Some of the reclaimed lumber becomes flooring that Van Marter installs himself. He said one of the best parts of the job is seeing a homeowner's reaction when the finished wood becomes part of a home.
“One homeowner told me it's the focal point of our house,” Van Marter said. “That's a great feeling.”
Eventually, the old elevator will no longer tower over Hinsdale.
But after more than a century on the prairie, pieces of it will remain in floors, walls, fences and homes around the community.
