History (cont.)

With this marketing in place, western farmers were in a good position when wheat harvests began to dramatically increase. Yield statistics for Manitoba alone demonstrate the impact of the boom. The province more than quadrupled its wheat production between 1896 and 1911 when 60 million bushels were harvested. (3) While a portion of this wheat was for domestic consumption, more was destined for export. It was the members of the Grain Exchange who acted as the brokers and agents for both domestic and international sales.

With the growth in the wheat economy came a need for larger quarters. A second Grain Exchange Building was constructed beside the original in 1898. It too, however was quickly outgrown, and plans for a new, $500,000 office building were drawn. Construction began in 1906 and took nearly two years to complete. When the new Grain Exchange Building opened on Lombard Avenue in early 1908, it not only housed the trading floor and Exchange offices, but also was a center for the major Canadian grain companies.