The Startup of the Garden City Co-op

In 1915, a group of farmers organized to form The Garden City Cooperative Equity Exchange.  Key organizers were R. J. Ackley, T. M. Jones, and C. E. Adams.  The charter was granted on July 6, 1915 containing the names of 20 stockholders.  They purchased a little wooden elevator with no storage capacity but equipped to handle grain.  Times were rough, and in 1917, the group voted to disband (all but R. J. Ackley and T. M. Jones).  But, in 1919, the farmers realized the importance of the cooperative, and came back to R. J. Ackley and T. M. Jones asking them to reorganize the cooperative.  A new charter was granted on August 16, 1919.

Original Charter Members

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