Westby Feed & Seed

Westby Feed & Seed now Logan Mill Lodge

The beginnings of the Westby Feed & Seed, the Ben Logan Feed Mill, began in 1904 when William Cargill, owner of Cargill Grain Company, bought land for his La Crosse and Southeastern Railway that would be operational in January of 1905. Sometime before the fall of 1905, a 75 foot elevator was built in preparation for the grain harvest. Cargill also had elevators built in Viroqua, Coon Valley and Chaseburg. The Westby elevator was torn down in 1977. In 1933 the Cargill family sold (bankruptcy) their La Crosse & Southeastern Railway (tracks located on the west side of the mill) to the Milwaukee Road whose trains had used what is now Bekkedal Avenue since 1879.

The H.E. McEachron Company, with P.J. Hagen as manager, became the owner of the grain elevator after the Cargill family sold it in 1910. Soon the McEachron Company improved the property by building the first part of the mill that exists today, a two story 28 foot by 50 foot seed storage building that fronted on Second Street. The 1910 vintage freight elevator and in-floor freight scales have been preserved.

In 1917 the Farmers Cooperative Seed Exchange took over ownership of the mill. During their ownership, Westby as well as the rest of the country enjoyed the roaring twenties and endured the depression. Cancelled checks that show the prosperity of this agricultural business during the 1920s have been preserved. The Farmers Co-op sold the mill to Ben and Olga Logan in the fall of 1940 and Ben’s generous credit terms helped many Westby area farmers recover from the depression years. 

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific caboose located at Logan Mill Lodge

Of all the owners of the feed mill property, the Logan’s are the most remembered and loved. The Logans renamed the feed mill Westby Feed & Seed and turned the business into a full service “Feed Mill” by putting a 28 foot by 50 foot addition on the north end of the seed storage building and installing feed grinding equipment. The canopy on the west side connecting the grain elevator to the mill & the lean-to on the north end were also added during the Logan era. 

In 1962, Ben Logan retired at age 72, selling his mill to John Hundt of Cashton who operated the mill until 1969 when FS Cooperative bought the property. All milling operations ceased in 1992.

Jane Meyer and Carol Brye purchased the mill buildings in 1993 and began saving the building from destruction. They replaced or rebuilt everything from the foundation up to and including a new roof. After renting the building to others for a few years, the women sold the mill property to Ken Rupp and Ruth Gerber Rupp in May 1999.

Ken and Ruth Rupp on the porch of their caboose

Ken and Ruth doing business as Ocooch Mountain Acres bought this large property as they needed room to expand their agricultural business (Maple Syrup). They bought the historic 7,000 square foot property which included the Ben Logan Feed Mill the adjacent Lime Shed. The maple syrup processing plant and distribution center used the entire property for the years 1999-2004. The volume of Maple syrup processed declined after 2004 from 300 barrels a year to 10 barrels a year due to Canadian competition and thus the amount of space needed for the maple syrup business decreased. The smaller 1,000 square foot Lime Shed located on the southwest corner of the mill property is now used for the Rupp’s Historic depot south of a former Milwaukee caboose that in the 50 had Westby as one of its stops. The maple syrup business has been moved to the north end of the Logan Mill Lodge. 

The entire 6,000 square foot feed mill structure has now been renovated into what is know as “Logan Mill Lodge” and commemorates the agricultural and railroad history of this property. The lodge consists of three unique residential units used as vacation rental condominiums plus a commercial kitchen and a conference room. A life sized picture of Ben Logan greets guests as they arrive at the main entrance to the conference room. The property has been fondly named “Logan Mill Lodge” and the conference room, “Ben’s private party and meeting room” in memory of the much loved and respected former feed mill owner, Ben Logan.