Grain elevator - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

A grain elevator is a tower containing a bucket elevator

Bucket elevator

A bucket elevator, also called a grain leg, is a mechanism for hauling flowable bulk materials vertically.It consists of:# Buckets to contain the material;# A belt to carry the buckets and transmit the pull;...

, which scoops up, elevates

Elevator

An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...

, and then uses gravity to deposit grain

GRAIN

GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. Our support takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and...

in a silo

Silo

A silo is a structure for storing bulk materials.Silo may also refer to:* Silo , a 3D modeling software* Silo , a defunct chain of retail electronics stores* SILO , used in Linux...

or other storage facility. In most grain-producing

Grain trade

The grain trade refers the local and international trade in cereals and other food grains such as wheat, maize, and rice.-History:The grain trade is probably nearly as old as grain growing, going back the Neolithic Revolution . Wherever there is a scarcity of land The grain trade refers the local...

countries, the term "grain elevator" is a pars pro toto
Pars pro toto
Pars pro toto is Latin for "a part for the whole" where the name of a portion of an object or concept represents the entire object or context....

which also covers facilities attached to the elevator itself, such as receival and testing offices, weighbridges, storage facilities and/or complexes of such buildings. It may also mean organizations that operate or control several individual elevators, in different locations. In Australia the term grain elevator refers to the lifting mechanism only (see "usage" below).

Prior to the advent of the grain elevator, grain was usually handled in bags rather than in bulk (large quantities of loose grain). The elevator was invented by a merchant named Joseph Dart and an engineer named Robert Dunbar during 1842–43, in Buffalo, New York

Buffalo, New York

Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...

. Using the steam-powered flour mills of Oliver Evans

Oliver Evans

Oliver Evans was an American inventor. Evans was born in Newport, Delaware to a family of Welsh settlers. At the age of 14 he was apprenticed to a wheelwright....

as their model, they invented the marine leg, which scooped loose grain out of the hulls of ships and elevated it to the top of a marine tower.

Early grain elevators and bins were often constructed of framed or cribbed wood, and were prone to fire. Grain elevator bins, tanks and silo

Silo

A silo is a structure for storing bulk materials.Silo may also refer to:* Silo , a 3D modeling software* Silo , a defunct chain of retail electronics stores* SILO , used in Linux...

s are now usually constructed of steel or reinforced concrete. Bucket elevators are used to lift grain to a distributor or consignor, from where it falls through spouts and/or conveyors and into one of a number of bins, silos or tanks in a facility. When desired, silos, bins and tanks are emptied by gravity flow, sweep auger

Auger

An auger is a drilling device, or drill bit, that usually includes a rotating helical screw blade called a "flighting" to act as a screw conveyor to remove the drilled out material...

s and conveyors. As grain is emptied from bins, tanks and silos it is conveyed, blended and weighted into trucks, railroad car

Railroad car

A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...

s or barge

Barge

A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...

s, and shipped to grain wholesalers, exporters and/or local end-users, such as flour mills, breweries

Brewery

A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....

and ethanol

Ethanol

Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...

or alcohol

Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....

distilleries

Distillation

Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....

Usage and definitions

In Australian English

Australian English

Australian English is the name given to the group of dialects spoken in Australia that form a major variety of the English language....

, the term "grain elevator" is reserved for elevator towers, while a receival and storage building or complex is distinguished by the formal term receival point or, more commonly, as a "wheat bin". Large-scale grain receival, storage and logistics

Logistics

Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...

operations are known in Australia as bulk handling.

In Canada, the term "grain elevator" is used to refer to a place where farmers sell grain into the global grain distribution system, and/or a place where the grain is moved into rail cars or ocean-going ships for transport. Specifically the there are several types of grain elevators under Canadian law, defined in the Canadian Grain Act, Section 2.

Primary elevators (called "country elevators" before 1971) receive grain directly from producers for storage, or forwarding, or both.
Process elevators (called "mill elevators" before 1971) receive and store grain for direct manufacture or processing into other products.
Terminal elevators receive grain on or after official inspection and weighing and clean, store, and treat grain before moving it forward.
Transfer elevators (including "Eastern elevators" from the pre-1971 classification) transfer grain that has been officially inspected and weighed at another elevator. In the Eastern Division, transfer elevators also receive, clean, and store eastern or foreign grain.

History

It was both necessity and the prospect of making a lot of money that gave birth to the steam-powered grain elevator in Buffalo, New York

Buffalo, New York

, in 1843. Ever since the construction of the Erie Canal

Erie Canal

The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...

in 1825, Buffalo had enjoyed a unique position in American geography. It stood at the intersection of two great all-water routes: one extending from New York Harbor

New York Harbor

New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...

, up the Hudson River

Hudson River

The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...

, to Albany

Albany, New York

Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...

and, beyond it, the Port of Buffalo; the other constituted by the Great Lakes

Great Lakes

The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...

, which could theoretically take boaters in any direction they wished to go (north to Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, west to Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

or Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

, south to Toledo

Toledo, Ohio

Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...

and Cleveland

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

, or east to the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

). All through the 1830s, Buffalo benefited tremendously from its position. In particular, it was the recipient of most of the increasing quantities of grain (mostly wheat) that was being grown on farms in Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

and Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

, and shipped on Lake Erie

Lake Erie

Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...

for transshipment to the Erie Canal. If Buffalo hadn't been there, or when things got backed up there, that grain would have been loaded onto boats at Cincinnati and shipped down the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

to New Orleans.
By 1842, it was clear that Buffalo’s port facilities weren’t keeping up. They still relied upon techniques that had been in use since the European Middle Ages

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

: work teams of stevedore

Stevedore

Stevedore, dockworker, docker, dock labourer, wharfie and longshoreman can have various waterfront-related meanings concerning loading and unloading ships, according to place and country....

s would use block and tackle

Block and tackle

A block and tackle is a system of two or more pulleys with a rope or cable threaded between them, usually used to lift or pull heavy loads.The pulleys are assembled together to form blocks so that one is fixed and one moves with the load...

s and their own backs to unload or load each and every sack of grain that had been stored or was to be stored in the boat’s hull. It would take several days, sometimes even a week, to service a single grain-laden boat. Grain shipments were going down the Mississippi River, not over the Great Lakes/Erie Canal system. A merchant named Joseph Dart, Jr., is generally credited as being the one who adapted Oliver Evans

Oliver Evans

Oliver Evans was an American inventor. Evans was born in Newport, Delaware to a family of Welsh settlers. At the age of 14 he was apprenticed to a wheelwright....

’ grain elevator (originally a manufacturing device) for use in a commercial framework (the transshipment of grain in bulk from lakers to canal boats), but the actual design and construction of the world’s first steam-powered “grain storage and transfer warehouse” was executed by an engineer named Robert Dunbar. Thanks to the historic “Dart Elevator” (operational on 1 June 1843), which worked almost seven times faster than its non-mechanized predecessors, Buffalo was able to keep pace with – and thus further stimulate – the incredible growth of American agricultural production in the 1840s and 1850s, but especially after the Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, with the coming of the railroads

Rail transport

Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...

It wasn’t by accident that the world’s second and third grain elevators were built in Toledo, Ohio

Toledo, Ohio

and Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

, New York, in 1847. Fledgling American cities, they were connected through an emerging international grain trade of unprecedented proportions. Grain shipments from farms in Ohio were loaded onto ships by elevators at Toledo; these ships were unloaded by elevators at Buffalo that transshipped their grain to canal boats (and, later, rail cars), which were unloaded by elevators in Brooklyn, where the grain was either distributed to East Coast

East Coast of the United States

The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...

flour mills or loaded for further transshipment to England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

or Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. But this eastern flow of grain was matched by an equally important flow of people and capital in the “opposite” direction, that is, from East to West. Because of the money to be made in grain production and, of course, because of the very existence of an all-water route to get there, increasing numbers of immigrants in Brooklyn came to Ohio, Indiana and Illinois to become farmers. More farmers meant more prairies turned into farmlands, which in turn meant increased grain production, which of course meant that more grain elevators would have to be built in places like Toledo, Buffalo and Brooklyn (and Cleveland, Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

and Duluth

Duluth, Minnesota

Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...

). It was precisely through this “feedback loop” of productivity – set in motion by the invention of the grain elevator – that America itself became an agricultural and economic colossus on the world stage: the planet’s single largest producer of wheat, corn, oats and rice, a distinction it claims to this day.

In the early Twentieth Century, there was concern about monopolistic practices in the grain elevator industry, leading to testimony before the Interstate Commerce Commission

Interstate Commerce Commission

The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...

in 1906. This led to several grain elevators being burned down in Nebraska, allegedly in protest.

Today, grain elevators are a common sight in the grain-growing areas of the world, such as the North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

n prairie

Prairie

Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...

s. Larger terminal elevators are found at distribution centers, such as Chicago

Chicago

and Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay

-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, where grain is sent for processing, or loaded aboard trains or ships to go further afield.

Buffalo, New York

Buffalo, New York

, the world's largest grain port from the 1850s until the first half of the 20th century, once had the nation's largest capacity for the storage of grain in over thirty concrete grain elevators located along the inner and outer harbors. Many of those that remain are presently idle, but a new ethanol

Ethanol

plant started in 2007 will use some of the elevators to store corn. In the early 20th century, Buffalo's grain elevators inspired modernist architects such as Le Corbusier

Le Corbusier

Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...

, who exclaimed, "The first fruits of the new age!" when he first saw them. Buffalo's grain elevators have been documented for the Historic American Engineering Record

Historic American Buildings Survey

The Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...

and added to the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

. Currently, Enid, Oklahoma

Enid, Oklahoma

Enid is a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. In 2010, the population was 49,379, making it the ninth largest city in Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, and is named after Enid, a...

, holds the title of most grain storage capacity in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

In farming communities, each town had one or more small grain elevators that would serve the local growers. The classic grain elevator was constructed with wooden cribbing and had nine or more larger square or rectangular bins arranged in 3 × 3 or 3 × 4 or 4 × 4 or more patterns. Wooden cribbed elevators usually had a driveway with truck scale and office on one side, a rail line on the other side and additional grain storage annex bins on either side.

In more recent times with improved transportation, centralized and much larger elevators serve many farms. Some of them are quite large. Two elevators in Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

(one in Hutchinson

Hutchinson, Kansas

Hutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, United States, northwest of Wichita, on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch"...

and one in Wichita

Wichita, Kansas

Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...

) are half a mile long. The loss of the grain elevators from small towns is often considered a great change in their identity, and there are efforts to preserve them as heritage structures. At the same time, many larger grain farms have their own grain handling facilities for storage and loading onto trucks.

Grain elevator operators buy grain from farmers, either for cash or at a contracted price, and then sell futures contract

Futures contract

In finance, a futures contract is a standardized contract between two parties to exchange a specified asset of standardized quantity and quality for a price agreed today with delivery occurring at a specified future date, the delivery date. The contracts are traded on a futures exchange...

s for the same quantity of grain, usually each day. They profit through the narrowing basis, that is, the difference between the local cash price, and the futures price, that occurs at certain times of the year.

Before economical truck transportation was available, grain elevator operators would sometimes use their purchasing power to control prices. This was especially easy since farmers often had only one elevator that was within a reasonable distance of their farm. This led some government

Government

Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...

s to take over the administration of grain elevators. An example of this is the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool

Saskatchewan Wheat Pool

The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool was a grain handling, agri-food processing and marketing company based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Pool created a network of marketing alliances in North America and internationally which made it the largest agricultural grain handling operation in the province of...

. For the same reason, many elevators were purchased by cooperatives.

A recent problem with grain elevators is the need to provide separate storage for ordinary and genetically modified grain to reduce the risk of accidental mixing of the two.

In the past, grain elevators sometimes experienced silo explosions

Flour bomb

There are two types of flour bomb:* The relatively innocuous use of flour in a fragile container, thrown at a person or object to produce an inconvenient stain....

. Fine powder from the millions of grains passing through the facility would accumulate and mix with the oxygen in the air. A spark could spread from one floating grain to the other creating a chain reaction that would destroy the entire structure. (This dispersed-fuel explosion is the mechanism behind fuel-air bombs.) To prevent this, elevators have very rigorous rules against smoking

Tobacco smoking

Tobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the resulting smoke is inhaled. The practice may have begun as early as 5000–3000 BCE. Tobacco was introduced to Eurasia in the late 16th century where it followed common trade routes...

or any other open flame. Many elevators also have various devices installed to maximize ventilation, safeguards against overheating in belt conveyors, legs, bearing, and explosion-proof electrical devices such as electric motor

Electric motor

An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...

s, switch

Switch

In electronics, a switch is an electrical component that can break an electrical circuit, interrupting the current or diverting it from one conductor to another....

es and lighting

Electric light

Electric lights are a convenient and economic form of artificial lighting which provide increased comfort, safety and efficiency. Most electric lighting is powered by centrally-generated electric power, but lighting may also be powered by mobile or standby electric generators or battery systems...

Grain elevators in small Canadian communities often had the name of the community painted on two sides of the elevator in large block letters, with the name of the elevator operator emblazoned on the other two sides. This made identification of the community easier for rail operators (and, incidentally, for lost drivers and pilots). The old community name would often remain on an elevator long after the town had either disappeared or been amalgamated into another community; the grain elevator at Ellerslie, Alberta

Ellerslie, Edmonton

Ellerslie is a newer residential neighbourhood in south Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.The most common type of residence in the neighbourhood is the single family dwelling. According to the 2005 municipal census, two out of every three residences were single-family dwellings...

, remained marked with its old community name until it was demolished, which took place more than twenty years after the village had been annexed by the City of Edmonton

Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

.

One of the major historical trend in the grain trade has been the closure of many smaller elevators, and the consolidation the grain trade to fewer places and among fewer companies. For example, in 1961 there were 1642 "country elevators" (the smallest type) in Alberta, holding 3452240 tonnes (3,397,706.8 LT) of grain. By 2010 there were only 79 remaining "primary elevators" (as they are now known), holding 1613960 tonnes (1,588,465.1 LT).

Elevator row

In Canada the term elevator row refers to a row of four or more wood-crib

Corn crib

A corn crib or corncrib is a type of granary used to dry and store corn. It is also known as a cornhouse or corn house, though this term can refer to any granary....

prairie

Prairie

grain elevators.

In the early pioneer days of Western Canada

Western Canada

Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...

's Prairie towns, when a good farming spot being settled, many people wanted to make money by building their own grain elevators, this brought in droves of private grain companies. Towns boasted dozens of elevator companies which all stood in a row along the railway tracks. If a town was lucky enough to have two railways, it was to be known as the next Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

. In many elevator rows there would be two or more elevators of the same company. Small towns bragged of their large elevator rows in promotional pamphlets to attract settlers. With so much competition in the 1920s consolidation began almost immediately and many small companies were merged or absorbed into larger companies.

In the mid 1990s with the cost of grain so low many private elevator companies once again had to merge. This time causing thousands of "prairie sentinels" to be torn down. Because so many grain elevators have been torn down, Canada has only two surviving elevator rows, one located in Warner, Alberta

Warner, Alberta

Warner is a village in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located in County of Warner, approximately 65 km south of the city of Lethbridge. Warner is a farming community. Warner is situated at the intersection of Highway 4 and Highway 36, about 38 km north of the Montana border and...

, and the other in Inglis, Manitoba

Inglis, Manitoba

Inglis is a small village located in the Rural Municipality of Shellmouth-Boulton, Manitoba, Canada, on Provincial Road 366 2 miles east of Hwy 83 between Russell and Roblin. Inglis is the closest town to the Asessippi Ski Area and the Lake of the Prairies...

. The Inglis elevator row

Inglis elevator row

Inglis elevator row is a row of five grain elevators standing in a row from south to north alongside the former Canadian Pacific Railway track bed, on the southeast edge of the village of Inglis, Manitoba, Canada. Because so many grain elevators have been demolished throughout Western Canada, only...

has been protected as National Historic Sites of Canada, while the Warner elevator row

Warner elevator row

Warner elevator row is a row of historic wood-cribbed grain elevators with six elevators all standing in a row from south to north, alongside the Canadian Pacific Railway, that travels from Great Falls, Montana to Lethbridge, Alberta, on the east entrance of the village of Warner, Alberta, Canada...

remains unprotected.

Elevator companies

Australia

ABB Grain – founded as a mutual company, the Australian Barley Board, in 1939, by barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...

growers in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

and Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

; after demutualization
Demutualization
Demutualization is the process by which a customer-owned mutual organization or co-operative changes legal form to a joint stock company. It is sometimes called stocking or privatization. As part of the demutualization process, members of a mutual usually receive a "windfall" payout, in the form...

, it was acquired by Viterra (see below) in 2009; Australian Bulk Alliance, a joint venture between ABB and Sumitomo, operates facilities in some areas.
Co-operative Bulk Handling
Co-operative Bulk Handling
Co-operative Bulk Handling or Co-operative Bulk Group, commonly known as CBH, is a Western Australian based cooperative company that operates grain receival points and also markets grain...

(CBH) – a cooperative
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...

company, established by grain growers in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

, in 1933.
Graincorp – established by the Government of New South Wales
Government of New South Wales
The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...

in 1918, as Government Grain Elevator; privatized circa 1990; acquired its counterparts in Victoria in 1999 and AWB Limited
AWB Limited
AWB Limited is a major grain marketing organisation based in Australia. It was a government body known as the Australian Wheat Board until 1 July 1999, when the AWB was transformed into a private company, owned by wheat growers...

, a competitor and nationwide grain exporter, in 2010.

Canada
All companies operating elevators in Canada must be licensed by the Canadian Grain Commission

Canadian Grain Commission

The Canadian Grain Commission, also known as the CGC, is a Canadian government department responsible for regulation of the grain handling industry.The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food is responsible for the Canadian Grain Commission....

, which maintains a list of all licensed companies currently operating in the country.

Cargill
Cargill
Cargill, Incorporated is a privately held, multinational corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Founded in 1865, it is now the largest privately held corporation in the United States in terms of revenue. If it were a public company, it would rank, as of 2011, number 13 on the Fortune 500,...

– established in 1865 by W.W. Cargill.
Richardson International
Richardson International
Richardson International is a privately held Canadian agricultural and food industry company headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It operates a network of grain handling facilities in the Canadian Prairies under the brand Richardson Pioneer, as well as port terminals in five cities...

– established in 1857 by James Richardson. Also known as Richardson Pioneer.
Paterson grain
Paterson GlobalFoods
Paterson GlobalFoods is a family-owned international agri-food business. It was established in 1908 as the N. M. Paterson Company.In 1912, N. M. Paterson built its first elevator at Fort William, with a handling capacity of 75,000 bushels...

– established in 1908 as the N. M. Paterson Co.
Parrish & Heimbecker – established in 1909 by two families William Parrish
William Parrish
William Linton Parrish was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1914 to 1920 as a member of the Liberal Party....

and Norman G. Heimbecker.
Independent Grain Co. – taken over by (Richardson) Pioneer in 1953.
Alberta Pacific Grain Co. – taken over by Federal Grain Co. in 1967.
Searle (grain) – amalgamated with Federal Grain Co. in 1967.
Federal Grain – sold to the three Provincial wheat pools in 1972.
The National Grain Co. – taken over by Cargill in 1974.
Manitoba Wheat Pool – merged with Alberta Wheat Pool in 1997.
Alberta Wheat Pool
Alberta Wheat Pool
The Alberta Wheat Pool was the first of Canada's wheat farmer co-operatives.-Early years:In 1923, the United Farmers of Alberta met with then Attorney General John Edward Brownlee to consider setting up a Wheat Pool just in Alberta...

– merged with Manitoba Wheat Pool in 1997.
United Grain Growers
United Grain Growers
United Grain Growers, or UGG, was a Canadian grain distributor. Founded in 1906 in Winnipeg, UGG was active in grain sales, crop inputs and livestock production services...

– taken over by Agricore United in 2001.
Agricore United
Agricore United
Agricore United was a farmer-directed agri-business in Canada. It supplied crop nutrition and crop protection products, and offered grain handling and marketing services. It was created on November 1, 2001 by the merger of Agricore and United Grain Growers. It was headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba...

– taken-over by Saskatchewan Wheat Pool in 2007.
Saskatchewan Wheat Pool
Saskatchewan Wheat Pool
The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool was a grain handling, agri-food processing and marketing company based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Pool created a network of marketing alliances in North America and internationally which made it the largest agricultural grain handling operation in the province of...

– took-over Agricore United in 2007 to form Viterra.
Viterra
Viterra
Viterra Inc. is a leading global agri-business with extensive operations in Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. With a growing international presence that includes trading and marketing offices on four continents, Viterra delivers high quality nutritious food ingredients to more...

– established after the take-over of Agricore United by the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool.
Louis Dreyfus Canada Ltd.

United States

ADM Milling
Agro Globe Engineering
Cargill
Cargill
Cargill, Incorporated is a privately held, multinational corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Founded in 1865, it is now the largest privately held corporation in the United States in terms of revenue. If it were a public company, it would rank, as of 2011, number 13 on the Fortune 500,...
Ross Manufacturing Co.
United Grain Growers
United Grain Growers
United Grain Growers, or UGG, was a Canadian grain distributor. Founded in 1906 in Winnipeg, UGG was active in grain sales, crop inputs and livestock production services...

Notable grain elevators

During the Battle of Stalingrad

Battle of Stalingrad

The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...

, one particularly well-defended Soviet strong point was known simply as "the Grain Elevator" and was strategically important to both sides.

This is a list of grain elevators that are either in the process of becoming heritage sites, museum

Museum

A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...

s, or have been preserved for future generations.

Canada

Alberta

Acadia Valley
Acadia Valley, Alberta
Acadia Valley is a hamlet in southeast Alberta within the Municipal District of Acadia No. 134. It is the seat for the M.D. of Acadia No. 34.Acadia Valley is located along the Buffalo Highway between Oyen and Medicine Hat and has an elevation of...

- Prairie Elevator Museum
Prairie Elevator Museum
The Prairie Elevator Museum is a former Alberta Wheat Pool grain elevator that has been restored and converted into a community gift shop and tea house...

, former Alberta Wheat Pool
Alberta Wheat Pool
The Alberta Wheat Pool was the first of Canada's wheat farmer co-operatives.-Early years:In 1923, the United Farmers of Alberta met with then Attorney General John Edward Brownlee to consider setting up a Wheat Pool just in Alberta...

converted into a tea house
Tea house
A tea house or tearoom is a venue centered on drinking tea. Its function varies widely depending on the culture, and some cultures have a variety of distinct tea-centered houses or parlors that all qualify under the English language term "tea house" or "tea room."-Asia:In Central Asia this term...

/ museum.
Alberta Central Railroad Museum - former Alberta Wheat Pool, second oldest standing grain elevator in Alberta, moved from Hobbema
Hobbema, Alberta
Hobbema is an unincorporated community in central Alberta, Canada, a portion of which is designated a hamlet within Ponoka County. It is located near the intersection of Highway 2A and Highway 611, approximately south of the City of Edmonton....

.
Andrew
Andrew, Alberta
-External links:**...

- former Alberta Wheat Pool, restored into a museum.
Castor
Castor, Alberta
Castor is a town in the Canadian province of Alberta. It is intersected by Highway 12 and Highway 861, east of the city of Red Deer, at an elevation .It was incorporated July 13, 1910...

- former Alberta Pacific, restored into a museum.
Big Valley
Big Valley, Alberta
Big Valley is a village in central Alberta south east of Red Deer. It is located south of Stettler and north of Drumheller on Highway 56 in the County of Stettler.- Ranching era :...

- Alberta Wheat Pool used as a museum complete with a train station and Roundhouse
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...

.
Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

- Ritchie Mill
Ritchie Mill
- History :Constructed in 1892 and the oldest surviving flour mill in the province, the Ritchie Mill is significant because of its association with the early agricultural and industrial development of Alberta...

, former flour mill converted into restaurants, law offices and condos.
Ellis Bird Farm
Ellis Bird Farm
The Ellis Bird Farm consists of a grain elevator built in 1937 and is the oldest standing "seed elevator" in Alberta. As well as a Tea House, self-guided trails, demonstration wildlife gardens, a picnic area, bird banding tours and the "World's Largest" collection of functional bluebird nestboxes....

, built in 1937 oldest standing seed elevator in Alberta.
Esther
Esther, Alberta
Esther is an unincorporated community in southern Alberta in Special Area No. 3, located east of Highway 41, north of Medicine Hat....

- former Alberta Wheat Pool, restored into a museum.
Haselwood Mill Haselwood Inn Bed & Breakfast - Alberta's oldest seed cleaning mill, 2nd on the site, privately owned, not protected, operated from the 1930s to 1960's near Bittern Lake, Alberta
Bittern Lake, Alberta
Bittern Lake is a village in central Alberta, Canada. It is located between Camrose and Wetaskiwin, on Highway 13.The lake itself is not accessible by road, and is not recommended for boating or fishing due to its high counts of alkali and its shallow waters.Locals enjoy the scenic walking trails...
Heritage Acres Farm Museum
Heritage Acres Farm Museum
The Heritage Acres Farm Museum is an open-air museum that uses costumed historical interpreters to recreate pioneer settlements in central Alberta, Canada. In particular it shows the lives of settlers from the early Pioneer days up to the 1960s...

- restored United Grain Growers
United Grain Growers
United Grain Growers, or UGG, was a Canadian grain distributor. Founded in 1906 in Winnipeg, UGG was active in grain sales, crop inputs and livestock production services...

elevator moved from Brocket
Brocket, Alberta
Brocket is a settlement in Peigan 147, in southern Alberta located on the Highway 3, between Pincher Creek and Fort Macleod. It is the main community on the Peigan reserve.-Demographics:...

.
Heritage Park Historical Village
Heritage Park Historical Village
Heritage Park Historical Village is a historical park located in Calgary, Alberta. The park is located on of parkland on the banks of the Glenmore Reservoir, along the city's southwestern edge. As Canada's largest living history museum by number of exhibits, it is one of the city's most visited...

, former Security Elevator Co. LTD. moved from Shonts
Kinuso
Kinuso, Alberta
Kinuso is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada within the Municipal District of Big Lakes, and surrounded by the Swan River Indian Reserve...

- United Grain Growers with Original UGG Logo.
Leduc
Leduc, Alberta
- Demographics :The population of the City of Leduc according to its 2011 municipal census is 24,139, a 3.6% increase over its 2010 municipal census population of 23,293....

- former Alberta wheat Pool saved from demolition now a museum.
Lougheed
Lougheed, Alberta
Lougheed is a village in central Alberta, Canada. It is located 94 km south-east of Camrose, along Highway 13.- Demographics :The population of the Village of Lougheed according to its 2010 municipal census is 254, a 5.8% increase over its 2009 municipal census population of 240.In 2006,...

- Former Pioneer Elevator now part of the Iron Creek Museum
Mayerthorpe
Mayerthorpe, Alberta
Mayerthorpe is a town in the census division 13, central Alberta, Canada. It is located at the intersection of Highway 43 and Cowboy Trail , north-west from Edmonton.-History:...

- 1966 Federal Grain Co. now an interpretive center.
Meeting Creek
Meeting Creek, Alberta
Meeting Creek is a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada within Camrose County, located west of Highway 56, approximately south of Camrose.- Demographics :The population of Meeting Creek according to Camrose County's 2008 municipal census is 30....

, a refurbished Alberta Wheat Pool, Pacific Grain elevator and CN train station.
Nanton
Nanton, Alberta
Nanton is a town in southern Alberta, Canada. Nanton was named after Sir Augustus Meredith Nanton, of Winnipeg who directed firms that offered financing for farms and ranches throughout the west...

- Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Centre
Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Centre
The Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Centre is a set of restored grain elevators located in Nanton, Alberta, Canada. The centre's goal is to preserve examples of old grain elevators to educate visitors about the town's, and Alberta's, agricultural history....

, three elevators saved from demolition and preserved to educate visitors about the town's, and Alberta's, agricultural history.
Radway
Radway, Alberta
Radway is a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada within the County of Thorhild No. 7. It is located southeast of Highway 28, approximately northeast of Fort Saskatchewan and northeast of Edmonton, the provincial capital.- References :...

- Krause Milling Co.
Krause Milling Co.
The Krause Milling Co grain elevator and flour mill site complex is composed of a 1929 grain elevator, drive shed, office/powerhouse, storage building and foundation of the 1929 flour mill, in the center of Radway, Alberta.-External links:...

restored into a museum.
Raley
Raley, Alberta
Raley, Alberta is an unincorporated community in Cardston County, Alberta, Canada. The population of Raley was 5 in 1966. The community is located about 4 km north of Highway 3, and about 15 km east of the Town of Cardston. Raley is named after C. Raley, of Lethbridge.-Alberta Pacific...

- oldest standing grain elevator on its original site in Alberta, built in 1909 maintaining many of its original features.
Rowley - a United Grain Growers, and Alberta Wheat Pool elevators saved from demolition by locals and now fully restored.
Scandia - Scandia Eastern Irrigation District Museum
Scandia Eastern Irrigation District Museum
The Scandia Eastern Irrigation District Museum is an open-air museum in Southern Alberta, Canada. The museum includes a historic 1925 Alberta Wheat Pool grain elevator, Bow Slope Stockyard, and displays of how irrigation has affected the prosperity of the area...

, 1920s Alberta Wheat Pool and stockyard now a museum.
South Peace Centennial Museum
South Peace Centennial Museum
The South Peace Centennial Museum is an open-air museum in central Alberta, Canada. The museum's buildings include homesteaders' cabins, a trading post, church, school, grist mill, community hall, general store, blacksmith shop, barn, carriage house, and railway buildings...

, United Grain Growers moved from Albright
Albright, Alberta
Albright, Alberta is an unincorporated community within Alberta in the County of Grande Prairie No. 1. It is located on Highway 43 and the Grande Prairie-Grande Cache Railway between Beaverlodge and Hythe. It has an elevation ....

.
Spruce Grove
Spruce Grove, Alberta
Spruce Grove is a city in the vicinity of Edmonton, Alberta. Like nearby Stony Plain it is surrounded by Parkland County.With a population of 24,646, Spruce Grove is the 11th largest city in Alberta. The Horizon Stage Performing Arts Centre is the local theatre, and its TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre...

- Spruce Grove Grain Elevator Museum
Spruce Grove Grain Elevator Museum
The Spruce Grove Grain Elevator Museum is a former Alberta Wheat Pool grain elevator that has been preserved as a community farmers market and agricultural museum run by the Spruce Grove and District Agricultural society...

, former Alberta Wheat Pool, now used as a Farmers Market.
St. Albert
St. Albert, Alberta
St. Albert is a suburban city in Alberta, located northwest of Edmonton, on the Sturgeon River. It was originally settled as a Métis community, and is now the second largest city in the Edmonton area. St...

- St. Albert Grain Elevator Park
St. Albert Grain Elevator Park
St. Albert Grain Elevator Park is an open-air museum which features two historic grain elevators and a reconstructed railway station.The two elevators are a 1906 Alberta Grain Co. Elevator and a 1929 Alberta Wheat Pool Elevator, both which were designated as Provincial Historic Resources in January...

, a 1906 Alberta Grain Co. and 1929 Alberta Wheat Pool Elevators now restored as a historic park.
Stettler
Stettler, Alberta
Stettler is a town in Alberta, Canada. It is located east of Red Deer at the junction of Highway 12 and Highway 56. The town is located in the eastern region of central Alberta and nicknamed "The Heart of Alberta."- History :...

- 1920 Parrish and Heimbecker grain elevator / feed mill and coal shed, last to stand in Alberta now protected and restored as a museum.
Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village
Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village
The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village is an open-air museum that uses costumed historical interpreters to recreate pioneer settlements in east central Alberta, Canada. In particular it shows the lives of Ukrainian Canadian settlers from the years 1899 to 1930...

- Former Home Grain Co. moved from Bellis
Bellis, Alberta
Bellis is a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada within Smoky Lake County. It is located west of Highway 36, approximately northeast of Edmonton.The hamlet's name derives from the "white woods", referring to the local birch and poplars.- References :...
Warner
Warner, Alberta
Warner is a village in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located in County of Warner, approximately 65 km south of the city of Lethbridge. Warner is a farming community. Warner is situated at the intersection of Highway 4 and Highway 36, about 38 km north of the Montana border and...

- Warner elevator row
Warner elevator row
Warner elevator row is a row of historic wood-cribbed grain elevators with six elevators all standing in a row from south to north, alongside the Canadian Pacific Railway, that travels from Great Falls, Montana to Lethbridge, Alberta, on the east entrance of the village of Warner, Alberta, Canada...

, last surviving elevator row in Alberta with a total of six elevators. Currently unprotected.

British Columbia

Creston
Creston, British Columbia
Creston is a town of 4,826 people in the Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia, Canada. The town is located just a few kilometers north of the Porthill, Idaho border crossing into the United States and about a three-hour drive north from Spokane, Washington. It is about a one-hour drive...

- former Alberta Wheat Pool
Alberta Wheat Pool
The Alberta Wheat Pool was the first of Canada's wheat farmer co-operatives.-Early years:In 1923, the United Farmers of Alberta met with then Attorney General John Edward Brownlee to consider setting up a Wheat Pool just in Alberta...

(1936) and United Grain Growers
United Grain Growers
United Grain Growers, or UGG, was a Canadian grain distributor. Founded in 1906 in Winnipeg, UGG was active in grain sales, crop inputs and livestock production services...

(1937) elevators that still stand tall on the edge of the downtown core in the middle of the Creston Valley
Creston Valley
The Creston Valley is a Canadian river delta wetland and Wildlife Management Area near Creston in south-central British Columbia, on the floodplain of the Kootenay River at the south end of Kootenay Lake. Predominantly marshland, it was classified as a wetland of international importance on...

.
Dawson Creek
Dawson Creek, British Columbia
Dawson Creek is a small city in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The municipality of had a population of 11,529 in 2009. Dawson Creek derives its name from the creek of the same name that runs through the community. The creek was named after George Mercer Dawson by a member of his land...

- restored and refurbished as a community art gallery.

Manitoba

Inglis
Inglis, Manitoba
Inglis is a small village located in the Rural Municipality of Shellmouth-Boulton, Manitoba, Canada, on Provincial Road 366 2 miles east of Hwy 83 between Russell and Roblin. Inglis is the closest town to the Asessippi Ski Area and the Lake of the Prairies...

- Inglis elevator row
Inglis elevator row
Inglis elevator row is a row of five grain elevators standing in a row from south to north alongside the former Canadian Pacific Railway track bed, on the southeast edge of the village of Inglis, Manitoba, Canada. Because so many grain elevators have been demolished throughout Western Canada, only...

, last surviving elevator row in Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...

with a total of four elevators. Now designated and protected as a National Historic Site of Canada.
Niverville
Niverville, Manitoba
Niverville is a small town in the Canadian province of Manitoba, located 28.6 km south of the Perimeter Highway which encircles the provincial capital, Winnipeg. This primarily farming community has seen an influx of people moving from the city looking to raise a family outside of the 'big...

- Western Canada's first grain elevator, erected by William Hespeler
William Hespeler
William Hespeler was a German - Canadian businessman and immigration agent and a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. He served as Speaker of the Legislature and as honorary consul of Germany to Winnipeg and the Northwest Territories...

in 1879
Plum Coulee
Plum Coulee, Manitoba
Plum Coulee is a town located in Manitoba, Canada. It is west of Altona, one hour southwest of Winnipeg and half an hour from the United States border. The town is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Rhineland. It is also home to the Plum Coulee Xpress hockey club.-Plum Coulee Development:Plum...

- grain elevator refurbished as a restaurant and meeting rooms.

Saskatchewan

Edam
Edam, Saskatchewan
Edam is a village in Saskatchewan, Canada. It has a population of 399 in 2006. It is known as a "Little piece of Holland in Saskatchewan."Edam is located off Saskatchewan Highway 26, south of Turtleford and north of Vawn, Saskatchewan....

- former Saskatchewan Wheat Pool now a museum.
Fleming
Fleming, Saskatchewan
-External links:*...

- oldest standing grain elevator on its original site in Canada, built in 1895 and maintaining many of its original features.
Gravelbourg
Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan
-Education:The town has for the past four decades been noteworthy for College Mathieu, a francophone boarding school for boys and girls who wish to acquire or retain fluency in French...

- Former Saskatchewan Wheat Pool saved from demolition and now a museum.
Indian Head
Indian Head, Saskatchewan
Indian Head is a town in southeast Saskatchewan, Canada, east of Regina. The town is directly north of the Trans-Canada Highway. The town is known for its federally-operated Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration experimental farm and tree nursery that produces seedlings for shelter...

- experimental farm grain elevator refurbished as a Café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...

, coffee house.
North Battleford Heritage Museum - former Saskatchewan Wheat Pool moved from North Battleford
North Battleford, Saskatchewan
In the late 2000s a large number of Ruthenians have emigrated to Canada, concentrating in North Battleford.-History:Prior to European settlement, the Battlefords area was home to several aboriginal groups...

.
Sukanen Ship Pioneer Village and Museum
Sukanen Ship Pioneer Village and Museum
The Sukanen Ship Pioneer Village and Museum has many displays of life on the Prairies including many historic buildings that have been moved from surrounding communities, set up to mimic that of a small Farming Town from the early 1900s to 1930s...

- former Victoria - McCabe moved from Mawer
Mawer, Saskatchewan
Mawer is a hamlet in Eyebrow No. 193, Saskatchewan, Canada. The population was 15 at the 2001 Census. The hamlet is located about 5km south of Highway 42 on Range road 35, approximately 10 km south-east of the town of Central Butte on the former Canadian Pacific Railway Tracks.-External links:...

.
Val Marie
Val Marie, Saskatchewan
-History:The first European investigation of the area was conducted by the Palliser Expedition , supported by the Royal Geographical Society and the British Government, and led by John Palliser, a wealthy Irish landowner. He was accompanied by geologist James Hector, and various cartographers and...

- former Federal and 1967 Centennial Saskatchewan Wheat Pool now museums.
Western Development Museum, former Saskatchewan Wheat Pool moved from ??.
Wood Mountain
Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan
Wood Mountain is a village in Old Post Rural Municipality 43, Saskatchewan, Canada. The town's name is derived from the Red River Metis word "Monatagne de Bois" , due to the abundance of poplar trees in the otherwise barren region...

- former Saskatchewan Wheat Pool now a museum.

United States

Armour's Warehouse
Armour's Warehouse
Armour's Warehouse, also known as the Seneca Grain Elevator or the Hogan's North Elevator, is a historic grain elevator located in the village of Seneca, Illinois, USA. The elevator and two surrounding outbuildings were listed on the U.S...

, constructed in 1861–62 on the north bank of the Illinois-Michigan Canal in Seneca, Illinois
Seneca, Illinois
Seneca is a village in LaSalle and Grundy counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 2,371 at the 2010 census.The LaSalle County portion of Seneca is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area, while the small portion that lies in Grundy County is part of the...

.
Baltimore and Ohio Locust Point Grain Terminal Elevator
Baltimore and Ohio Locust Point Grain Terminal Elevator
The Baltimore and Ohio Locust Point Grain Terminal Elevator in Baltimore, Maryland is one of the largest grain terminal elevators to be constructed in the early 20th century. Completed in 1924 for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad with a capacity of 3.8 billion bushels, it is a concrete structure on...

, one of the largest grain terminal elevators
Terminal elevator
A terminal elevator is a large grain elevator with the capacity to transfer grain to rail cars, barges, or ships for transport to domestic or foreign markets. Terminal elevator markets are used as base locations for posted county prices....

to be constructed in the early 20th century, with a capacity of 3.8 billion bushels in Baltimore, Maryland.
Bouton, Iowa
Bouton, Iowa
Bouton is a city in Dallas County, Iowa, United States. The population was 136 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Bouton is located at ....

's grain elevator, owned by Susan (formerly Flanery) & Michael Chris Brelsford, photo shoot location for the 40th Anniversary Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is published annually by Sports Illustrated. It features fashion models wearing swimwear in exotic locales. According to some, the magazine is the arbiter of supermodel succession. In addition, the issue is a media nexus that in 2005 carried in advertising....

(2004).
Bricktown, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Bricktown (Oklahoma City)
Bricktown is an entertainment district just east of downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma . It was formerly a major warehouse district. The major attractions of the district are the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, the navigable Bricktown Canal, and the 16-screen Harkins movie theatre...

is home to OKC Rocks, a former grain elevator that has been turned into an indoor rock climbing facility located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...

.
Northwestern Consolidated Milling Company Elevator A
Ceresota Building
Northwestern Consolidated Milling Company Elevator A also known as the Ceresota Building and "The Million Bushel Elevator" was a receiving and public grain elevator built by the Northwestern Consolidated Milling Company in 1908 in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States...

, also known as the Ceresota Building and "The Million Bushel Elevator" was a receiving and public grain elevator built by the Northwestern Consolidated Milling Company
Northwestern Consolidated Milling Company
Northwestern Consolidated Milling Company was an American flour milling company that operated about one quarter of the mills in Minneapolis, Minnesota when the city was the flour milling capital of the world. Formed as a business entity, Northwestern produced flour for the half century between 1891...

in 1908 in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

.
Concrete-Central Elevator
Concrete-Central Elevator
Concrete-Central Elevator is a historic grain elevator located on the Buffalo River at Buffalo in Erie County, New York. It was built between 1915 and 1917, and was used for grain storage until 1966. Concrete Central stretches along the Buffalo River for almost a quarter of a mile and was the...

, built between 1915 and 1917 in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...

.
Ingersoll Tile Elevator
Ingersoll Tile Elevator
The Ingersoll Tile Elevator, located in Ingersoll, Oklahoma, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The elevator is constructed of hollow red clay tiles. Built around 1920, it was added to the Register because of its significance in the transition from wooden grain...

, elevator constructed of hollow red clay tiles, located in Ingersoll, Oklahoma
Ingersoll, Oklahoma
Ingersoll is a small unincorporated community in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma, United States. The post office was established September 13, 1901, and discontinued December 31, 1942. The Ingersoll Tile Elevator is on the National Register of Historic Places....

.
North Dakota Mill and Elevator
North Dakota Mill and Elevator
The North Dakota Mill and Elevator is the largest flour mill in the United States. It is located in the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota. The mill is owned by the U.S. state of North Dakota and is the only state-owned milling facility in the United States....

, largest flour mill in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, located in Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...

.
Sheridan Flouring Mills, Inc.
Sheridan Flouring Mills, Inc.
The Sheridan Flouring Mills, also known as the Mill Inn, are an industrial complex in Sheridan, Wyoming. The mills were a major component of the economy of north central Wyoming, providing collection, storage and milling of locally-produced wheat and other grains into flour and other milled...

, an industrial complex in Sheridan, Wyoming
Sheridan, Wyoming
Sheridan is a city in Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States. The 2010 census put the population at 17,444 and a Micropolitan Statistical Area of 29,116...

.
Silo Point
Silo Point
Silo Point is a high-rise grain elevator located in Baltimore, Maryland. The grain elevator rises to 310 feet/94 meters, containing 24 floors and 228 rooms. Originally called the Locust Point Grain Terminal Elevator, it was built by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 1923. Currently it is being...

, currently being reconstructed from a grain elevator to a condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...

located in Baltimore, Maryland.
Zip Feed Tower
Zip Feed Tower
The Zip Feed Tower was a grain elevator and feed mill in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. At 202 feet it was the tallest occupiable structure in South Dakota from its construction in 1956-1957 until its demolition in December 2005...

, tallest occupiable structure in South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

from its construction in 1956-1957 until its demolition in December 2005.
Peavey-Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator
Peavey-Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator
The Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator, built in 1899–1900, was the first circular concrete grain elevator in the United States, and possibly in the world. It is notable for proving the viability of concrete in grain elevator construction. Previous grain elevators, being...

, in St. Louis Park, Minnesota
St. Louis Park, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 44,126 people, 20,782 households, and 10,557 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,122.5 persons per square mile . There were 21,140 housing units at an average density of 1,975.0 per square mile...

, the first reinforced concrete grain elevator in the United States

Elevator explosions

Given a large enough suspension of combustible flour

Flour

Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...

or grain

Cereal

Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...

dust in the air, a significant explosion can occur. A famous historical example of the destructive power of grain explosions is the 1878 explosion of the Washburn "A" Mill in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

, which killed eighteen, leveled two nearby mills, damaged many others and caused a destructive fire that gutted much of the nearby milling district. (The Washburn "A" mill was later rebuilt and continued to be used until it was shut down in 1965.) Another example occurred in 1998, when the DeBruce grain elevator in Wichita, Kansas

Wichita, Kansas

exploded and killed seven people. The most recent example is an explosion on October 29, 2011 at the Bartlett Grain Company in Atchison, Kansas

Atchison, Kansas

Atchison is a city situated along the Missouri River in the eastern part of Atchison County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,021. It is the county seat and most populous city of Atchison County...

. The death toll was 6 people. Two more men received severe burns, but the remaining four were not hurt.

Almost any finely-divided organic

Organic compound

An organic compound is any member of a large class of gaseous, liquid, or solid chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of carbon-containing compounds such as carbides, carbonates, simple oxides of carbon, and cyanides, as well as the...

substance becomes an explosive material

Explosive material

An explosive material, also called an explosive, is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure...

when dispersed as an air suspension; hence, a very fine flour is dangerously explosive in air suspension. This poses a significant risk when milling grain to produce flour, so mills go to great lengths to remove sources of sparks. These measures include carefully sifting the grain before it is milled or ground to remove stones which could strike sparks from the millstones, and the use of magnets to remove metallic debris able to strike sparks.

The earliest recorded flour explosion took place in an Italian mill in 1785, but there have been many since. The following two references give numbers of recorded flour and dust explosions in the USA in 1994 and 1997. In the ten year period up to and including 1997, there were 129 explosions.

Media

Canadian Prairie grain elevators were the subjects of the National Film Board of Canada

National Film Board of Canada

The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...

documentaries Grain Elevator and Death of a Skyline.

External links

Complete Photographic Record of the Remaining Canadian Prairie Grain Elevators
Vanishing Landmarks - Photographs of standing and demolished Grain Elevators with information and maps.
Grain Elevators: Buffalo's Lost Industry
Rediscovering the Concrete Atlantis: Buffalo Grain Elevators
A History of Buffalo's Grain Elevators
Bruce Selyem Grain Elevator Photographer
Pixelgrain: Mapping Transition in the Canadian Prairies
Saving Alberta's Grain Elevators
American Colossus: the Grain Elevator 1843-1943
"Inside a Modern Grain Elevator" Popular Science Monthly, February 1930, p.45. Drawing of how 1930s grain elevator worked at sea ports.

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.