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

Names	Residence	Shares
O.B. Strawn	Plymell, KS	two
T.L. Crabb	Garden City, KS	two
C.E. Adams	Garden City, KS	two
T.M. Jones	Garden City, KS	two
Luis Michelfelder	Garden City, KS	two
C.F. Warnke	Garden City, KS	two
John Gossman	Garden City, KS	two
W.E. Holmes	Garden City, KS	two
Jess Kisner	Garden City, KS	two
Frank Goldamer	Plymell, KS	two
G.R. Barker	Plymell, KS	two
Don R. Carroll	Santa Fe, KS	two
John G. Rogge	Garden City, KS	two
W.J. Cottrell	Plymell, KS	two
O.G. Stevensen	Garden City, KS	two
F.C. Vanderre	Plymell, KS	two
J.W. Staley	Garden City, KS	two
M.R. Wilks	Plymell, KS	two
G.W. Ritter	Garden City, KS	two
J.F. Rogers	Wichita, KS	two

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