Warner elevator row
Encyclopedia
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
. This row is one of two remaining "elevator rows" in Canada.
, which once boasted a total of 12 grain elevators at one time, more than any location west of Winnipeg, Manitoba. By 2000 all but one have since been demolished and replaced with two larger concrete grain terminals on the southeast side of town.
Warner is one of the last two rows in Canada with a total of six elevators, the other Inglis, Manitoba
, with a total of five elevators, these two elevator rows remain the last surviving "elevator rows" in Canada. Warner's elevators have not been protected and may be at risk of demolition. The elevators at Inglis however have since been fully restored back to their original signage and are now fully protected as National Historic Sites of Canada.
Prior to 1911 Warner had two elevators, one was a 30000 impbu house built by Alberta Pacific Elevator Co., and the other was a 25000 impbu elevator built by Jones and Dill. In 1913 the first elevator remaining in the present row was constructed by the Alberta Farmers’ Co-operative Elevator Co.
.
The individual structural and narrative history of the elevators illustrates well developments in the grain industry and individual companies from before WWII
to the 1980s.
The row at Warner is of significance for its massing of complexes. The elevators built at Warner date from 1913 to 1960. The row includes an early example of the Alberta Farmers’ Co-operative Elevator company design, and an example of several different complex component arrangements; elevator and twin, elevator and annexes of several types, original type offices and replacement offices. The row has a total of six complexes, with a total of eight elevators.
The elevator built by Ellison Milling and Elevator Co. in 1939 is an architecturally significant example of a 1940s complex that has undergone almost no change, comprising an elevator, two balloon annexes, and a track side office/warehouse, usually associated with an earlier period. There are only a small number of elevators from the later 1930s left standing in the province; a reminder that few were built for some time after 1934. This elevator was demolished in the early 2000s.
elevator, have had little modification and several have old small scales and air dumps in situ.
United Grain Growers
This elevator and accompanying annex was built 1957–1960. It was UGG’s second elevator at Warner, the first having been sold to Alberta Pool Elevators in 1928. It was licensed for 134000 impbu in 1960. The elevator has had substantial upgrading in the late 1980s, including the installation of a new leg that has required heightening part of the cupola roof. The metal bin annexes on the south side, complete with drag auger, also date from this time. A cyclone dust collector and truck loading spout have also been installed. A roofed warehouse located track-side on the north side of the elevator, was most likely built at the same time as the elevator.
X.C. Hadford Company (demolished)
This elevator was built by X. C. Hadford Company in 1950. It was licensed as a 15000 impbu seed plant in 1952. It is now operated by Demeter Argo, owned by the Alberta Wheat Pool. In 1992 it was licensed as a primary elevator with a capacity of 240 tonnes. It is used to handle mustard seed. No further information on the structural history of the complex has been found. This elevator has been torn down.
Alberta Farmers Co-operative Elevator Company (twin)
This 35000 impbu elevator was built in 1913. It measures 31 ×. This elevator is one of two oldest extant examples of the standard design used by Alberta Farmers’ Elevator Co. 1913–1917. It is built on the standard plan used by the Alberta Farmers Co-operative elevator company. It has a pyramidal roof with a gable roofed cupola housing the head of the leg. Archival photographs of other Alberta Farmers’ Co-operative Elevator Co. facilities suggest that this elevator probably originally had an office that sat trackside beside the elevator also served as a warehouse.
In 1913 the UFA proposed the establishment of the Alberta Farmers’ Elevator Co. as the solution to producers’ problems in Alberta. Shares were issued to farmers at $60 par value, payable in four annual installments. The Alberta government provided financing through a loan for 85% of the share sum. In order to market their grain and guarantee their loans during a time of rapid wartime expansion the Alberta Farmers’ Co-operative Elevator Co. relied on the experience of the Grain Growers Grain Co. of Manitoba
. In 1917 the two companies amalgamated to form the United Grain Growers
, with headquarters Winnipeg
.
In 1928 UGG sold their 1913 Warner elevator to Alberta Pool Elevator Co. A coal shed that had been associated with the elevator since 1926 was sold in 1940 and removed from the site.
In 1940 a 35000 impbu balloon annex, built by F. W. McDougall Construction Company, was added to the elevator. It was removed at an unknown date. The elevator was twinned with a new elevator constructed by the Pool in 1951. A new driveway was constructed at this time. The 1913 elevator has a high degree of structural and mechanical integrity. The trackside loading area has not been modified. The metal cladding is original to the structure. The cupola, however, has been reclad with siding.
Alberta Wheat Pool (twin)
This 60000 impbu elevator was built in 1951, and subsequently twinned with the 1913 elevator. It measures 38 ×. The elevator has a high degree of structural and mechanical integrity and appears much as it did in 1951. The short scale and pneumatic dump are still in place.
Alberta Pool Elevator Co.
This elevator was built by Voss Bros for Alberta Pool Elevator Co. in 1928. It was built according to the standard 40000 impbu plan, at a cost of $15,300. It measures 34 ×. A balloon annex was built in 1940, on the south side. It was removed in 1995. The elevator has a high degree of structural and mechanical integrity, and is complete with original scale and pneumatic dump. The rear part of the office, now that the engine has been removed, has been converted into a warehouse. This elevator served as AWP’s No. 2 elevator in the summer of 1997.
Alberta Pacific Grain Co. (twin)
This 45000 impbu elevator was built in 1918 by Alberta Pacific Grain Co. It replaced a pre 1911 Alberta Pacific Elevator Co. It may have had an annex as it was licensed in 1918 for 60000 impbu and for only 45000 impbu in 1922. In 1953 a 23000 impbu annex was attached to the north side of the elevator. A second annex was added in 1959. In 1967 the elevator was taken over by Federal Grain Ltd. The next year Federal built a new elevator and twinned it with the 1918 elevator. The 1959 annex was then moved to the south side of the new elevator. A driveway was built the length of both elevators at this time. The 1953 annex was removed in 1997. In 1972 the complex was sold to Alberta Wheat Pool; in the summer of 1997 it served as AWP No. 4 house.
Federal Grain LTD. (twin)
This 65000 impbu elevator was built by Federal Grain Ltd. In 1968, and twinned with 1918 elevator Federal had taken over the previous year. It measures 38 ×. The elevator has no structural upgrading but it does have an electronic scale, and an exterior loading spout for trucks. This elevator was among the last built on the traditional design, before the single composite design came into widespread use.
Ogilvie Flour Mills (demolished)
This 35,000 elevator was built by Ogilvie Flour Mills in 1929. A 30000 impbu balloon annex was added in 1940, and a second one with 25000 impbu capacity in 1952. One of the annexes was removed in 1997. The driveway has been heightened, but despite this is still too low for larger trucks. An auger is used to dump the trucks into the pit. The driveway ramp is very steep. The elevator has a high degree of structural and mechanical integrity. The elevator has an attached office, that appears to be original to the site. A small scale is still in place along with a pneumatic dump. The metal cladding is typical of Ogilvie Flour Co. elevators. The ghost logo of the company is still visible on the walls of the elevator. The elevator was being used to load mustard in the summer of 1997. This elevator has been torn down.
Ellison Milling & Flour Co. (demolished)
This 40000 impbu elevator was built by Ellison Milling & Flour Co. in 1939. The annexes were undoubtedly constructed during the war as temporary storage. In 1974 the elevator went to Parrish and Heimbecker
. It was purchased by UGG in 1985. The positioning of the annexes, one trackside and the other parallel to the driveway is typical of the layout favoured for annexes during the war when two or more were used.
The elevator has had little upgrading; the trackside loading area is intact apart from the installation of a hopper car loading spout. The P&H ghost logo is visible on the east and west sides of the elevator. The elevator office is a larger rectangular wood frame structure with a gable roof. It appears to serve as an office and as a warehouse. The position of the office, trackside beside the elevator with the door facing the driveway ramp, is unusual for a complex built at this time. This elevator has been torn down.
& County of Cardston
, that are of great significance.
Alberta Pacific Elevator Co. Ltd.
(Raley
)
The Alberta Pacific Elevator at Raley was built as a 35000 impbu elevator and is likely the oldest standing elevator in Alberta constructed shortly after the St. Mary Railway line (succeed by Canadian Pacific Railway
) was constructed in 1900 from Stirling
to Cardston
and finished in 1902. The elevator was built in 1905 by the Alberta Pacific Elevator Co. Ltd. A permanent cribbed annex was added to the elevator in 1940. In 1967 the elevator became part of the Federal Line of elevators. Then in 1972 the elevator was taken over by the Alberta Wheat Pool
but was closed very shortly afterwards and taken over by the Hutterite
colony
at Raley. This elevator has high architectural significance as it is an excellent and the only unaltered example of an Alberta Pacific Elevator Co. 35000 impbu capacity elevator.
The Alberta Pacific elevator at Raley was the first of a number of elevators operating by 1911. It is the only one that has survived, probably because it is now in private hands. By 1911 there were two other elevators at Raley, one was a 30000 impbu elevator built by A.G. Robertson and the other a 15000 impbu elevator operated by Sunny Belt Grain Elevator Co. Ltd. This was upgraded to a 30000 impbu house in 1917. In 1924 the Raley Hutterite colony took over the A.G. Robertson elevator and in 1940 the Alberta Pacific Grain Co. took over the Sunny belt elevator, by this time owned by the N. Bawlf Grain Co. It was operated in conjunction with the original elevator. Both elevators went to the Alberta Wheat Pool in 1972. There was a fourth elevator at Raley, an Alberta Pool Elevator 40000 impbu house built in 1929. This elevator disappears from the records by the late 1930s. The Sunny belt and A.g. Robertson elevators were demolished sometime after 1972.
Ellison Milling And Elevator Co.
(Stirling
)
This 30000 impbu metal
-clad
elevator was built by the Ellison And Elevator Co., in 1922. It was built at the railroad junction alongside the Ogilvie elevator built in 1910 by O.F. Ursenbach who was hired by George W. green, general manager. In 1941–1942 during the war years, a frame temporary annex was added to increase the handling to 60000 impbu. In 1962 a bolted-steel tank was built to hold another 12000 impbu of grain increasing the capacity to 72000 impbu. Parrish & Heimbecker
bought the elevator in 1975. Later it was sold to a private owner who converted the elevator into a mustard
plant. Today the elevator has once again been converted into a hemp
plant, supplying hemp products around Southern Alberta
and North America
.
Ogilvie Flour Mills
(Wrentham
)
This 32000 impbu elevator was built for Randell Gee & Mitchell in 1915. It was then sold to Midland Company Limited in 1919, and then to Ogilvie Flour Mills in 1921. Ogilvie built the balloon annex on the east side of the elevator in 1951. The elevator then closed in March 1959, and was sold to an local farmer (Wesley Kuehn) to use.
The elevator itself is still unchanged from its earlier years - the walkway that links the elevator to the office is one of two boxed walkways left in the province. The leg has a rope drive run by a four-cylinder
Continental
gasoline engine under the floor of the office.
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
, that travels from Great Falls, Montana
Great Falls, Montana
Great Falls is a city in and the county seat of Cascade County, Montana, United States. The population was 58,505 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Great Falls, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cascade County...
to Lethbridge, Alberta, on the east entrance of the village of 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...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, 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...
. This row is one of two remaining "elevator rows" in Canada.
History and significance
Since a vast number of the once-dominant wood-crib grain elevators throughout Canada have been torn down, only two elevator rows have survived partial demolition if not complete demolition. An example of such is Vulcan, AlbertaVulcan, Alberta
Vulcan is a town located midway between the cities of Calgary and Lethbridge on Highway 23, in the prairies of southern Alberta, Canada. The population of the town was 1,940 in 2006, and the population of the county, which is also named Vulcan, was 3,718. The town's economy is mainly tourism and...
, which once boasted a total of 12 grain elevators at one time, more than any location west of Winnipeg, Manitoba. By 2000 all but one have since been demolished and replaced with two larger concrete grain terminals on the southeast side of town.
Warner is one of the last two rows in Canada with a total of six elevators, the other 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...
, with a total of five elevators, these two elevator rows remain the last surviving "elevator rows" in Canada. Warner's elevators have not been protected and may be at risk of demolition. The elevators at Inglis however have since been fully restored back to their original signage and are now fully protected as National Historic Sites of Canada.
Prior to 1911 Warner had two elevators, one was a 30000 impbu house built by Alberta Pacific Elevator Co., and the other was a 25000 impbu elevator built by Jones and Dill. In 1913 the first elevator remaining in the present row was constructed by the Alberta Farmers’ Co-operative Elevator Co.
United Farmers of Alberta
The United Farmers of Alberta is an association of Alberta farmers that has served many different roles throughout its history as a lobby group, a political party, and as a farm-supply retail chain. Since 1934 it has primarily been an agricultural supply cooperative headquartered in Calgary...
.
The individual structural and narrative history of the elevators illustrates well developments in the grain industry and individual companies from before WWII
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to the 1980s.
The row at Warner is of significance for its massing of complexes. The elevators built at Warner date from 1913 to 1960. The row includes an early example of the Alberta Farmers’ Co-operative Elevator company design, and an example of several different complex component arrangements; elevator and twin, elevator and annexes of several types, original type offices and replacement offices. The row has a total of six complexes, with a total of eight elevators.
The elevator built by Ellison Milling and Elevator Co. in 1939 is an architecturally significant example of a 1940s complex that has undergone almost no change, comprising an elevator, two balloon annexes, and a track side office/warehouse, usually associated with an earlier period. There are only a small number of elevators from the later 1930s left standing in the province; a reminder that few were built for some time after 1934. This elevator was demolished in the early 2000s.
The grain elevators
The grain elevators in Warner have a high degree of integrity; few elevators have been removed from the row which is perhaps the most impressive row in Alberta with four complexes (six elevators). The individual elevators, with the exception of the UGGUnited 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, have had little modification and several have old small scales and air dumps in situ.
Demolitions
Since 1999–2001 a total of three elevators have been torn down at Warner, bringing the row to a total of four complexes, with a total of six elevators. Even with the losses of the three that have been torn down, the row still remains significant because it has more than three elevators in a row.Histories
Below is the histories of the elevators in the row from north to south that still stand as well as the ones that have since been torn down.United Grain Growers
This elevator and accompanying annex was built 1957–1960. It was UGG’s second elevator at Warner, the first having been sold to Alberta Pool Elevators in 1928. It was licensed for 134000 impbu in 1960. The elevator has had substantial upgrading in the late 1980s, including the installation of a new leg that has required heightening part of the cupola roof. The metal bin annexes on the south side, complete with drag auger, also date from this time. A cyclone dust collector and truck loading spout have also been installed. A roofed warehouse located track-side on the north side of the elevator, was most likely built at the same time as the elevator.
X.C. Hadford Company (demolished)
This elevator was built by X. C. Hadford Company in 1950. It was licensed as a 15000 impbu seed plant in 1952. It is now operated by Demeter Argo, owned by the Alberta Wheat Pool. In 1992 it was licensed as a primary elevator with a capacity of 240 tonnes. It is used to handle mustard seed. No further information on the structural history of the complex has been found. This elevator has been torn down.
Alberta Farmers Co-operative Elevator Company (twin)
This 35000 impbu elevator was built in 1913. It measures 31 ×. This elevator is one of two oldest extant examples of the standard design used by Alberta Farmers’ Elevator Co. 1913–1917. It is built on the standard plan used by the Alberta Farmers Co-operative elevator company. It has a pyramidal roof with a gable roofed cupola housing the head of the leg. Archival photographs of other Alberta Farmers’ Co-operative Elevator Co. facilities suggest that this elevator probably originally had an office that sat trackside beside the elevator also served as a warehouse.
In 1913 the UFA proposed the establishment of the Alberta Farmers’ Elevator Co. as the solution to producers’ problems in Alberta. Shares were issued to farmers at $60 par value, payable in four annual installments. The Alberta government provided financing through a loan for 85% of the share sum. In order to market their grain and guarantee their loans during a time of rapid wartime expansion the Alberta Farmers’ Co-operative Elevator Co. relied on the experience of the Grain Growers Grain Co. of 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...
. In 1917 the two companies amalgamated to form the 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...
, with headquarters Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
.
In 1928 UGG sold their 1913 Warner elevator to Alberta Pool Elevator Co. A coal shed that had been associated with the elevator since 1926 was sold in 1940 and removed from the site.
In 1940 a 35000 impbu balloon annex, built by F. W. McDougall Construction Company, was added to the elevator. It was removed at an unknown date. The elevator was twinned with a new elevator constructed by the Pool in 1951. A new driveway was constructed at this time. The 1913 elevator has a high degree of structural and mechanical integrity. The trackside loading area has not been modified. The metal cladding is original to the structure. The cupola, however, has been reclad with siding.
Alberta Wheat Pool (twin)
This 60000 impbu elevator was built in 1951, and subsequently twinned with the 1913 elevator. It measures 38 ×. The elevator has a high degree of structural and mechanical integrity and appears much as it did in 1951. The short scale and pneumatic dump are still in place.
Alberta Pool Elevator Co.
This elevator was built by Voss Bros for Alberta Pool Elevator Co. in 1928. It was built according to the standard 40000 impbu plan, at a cost of $15,300. It measures 34 ×. A balloon annex was built in 1940, on the south side. It was removed in 1995. The elevator has a high degree of structural and mechanical integrity, and is complete with original scale and pneumatic dump. The rear part of the office, now that the engine has been removed, has been converted into a warehouse. This elevator served as AWP’s No. 2 elevator in the summer of 1997.
Alberta Pacific Grain Co. (twin)
This 45000 impbu elevator was built in 1918 by Alberta Pacific Grain Co. It replaced a pre 1911 Alberta Pacific Elevator Co. It may have had an annex as it was licensed in 1918 for 60000 impbu and for only 45000 impbu in 1922. In 1953 a 23000 impbu annex was attached to the north side of the elevator. A second annex was added in 1959. In 1967 the elevator was taken over by Federal Grain Ltd. The next year Federal built a new elevator and twinned it with the 1918 elevator. The 1959 annex was then moved to the south side of the new elevator. A driveway was built the length of both elevators at this time. The 1953 annex was removed in 1997. In 1972 the complex was sold to Alberta Wheat Pool; in the summer of 1997 it served as AWP No. 4 house.
Federal Grain LTD. (twin)
This 65000 impbu elevator was built by Federal Grain Ltd. In 1968, and twinned with 1918 elevator Federal had taken over the previous year. It measures 38 ×. The elevator has no structural upgrading but it does have an electronic scale, and an exterior loading spout for trucks. This elevator was among the last built on the traditional design, before the single composite design came into widespread use.
Ogilvie Flour Mills (demolished)
This 35,000 elevator was built by Ogilvie Flour Mills in 1929. A 30000 impbu balloon annex was added in 1940, and a second one with 25000 impbu capacity in 1952. One of the annexes was removed in 1997. The driveway has been heightened, but despite this is still too low for larger trucks. An auger is used to dump the trucks into the pit. The driveway ramp is very steep. The elevator has a high degree of structural and mechanical integrity. The elevator has an attached office, that appears to be original to the site. A small scale is still in place along with a pneumatic dump. The metal cladding is typical of Ogilvie Flour Co. elevators. The ghost logo of the company is still visible on the walls of the elevator. The elevator was being used to load mustard in the summer of 1997. This elevator has been torn down.
Ellison Milling & Flour Co. (demolished)
This 40000 impbu elevator was built by Ellison Milling & Flour Co. in 1939. The annexes were undoubtedly constructed during the war as temporary storage. In 1974 the elevator went to Parrish and Heimbecker
Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd.
Parrish & Heimbecker Limited is a Canadian grain company with about 1500 employees across Canada and the northern United States. The company has several divisions including flour milling, feed milling, grain marketing, transportation and logistics....
. It was purchased by UGG in 1985. The positioning of the annexes, one trackside and the other parallel to the driveway is typical of the layout favoured for annexes during the war when two or more were used.
The elevator has had little upgrading; the trackside loading area is intact apart from the installation of a hopper car loading spout. The P&H ghost logo is visible on the east and west sides of the elevator. The elevator office is a larger rectangular wood frame structure with a gable roof. It appears to serve as an office and as a warehouse. The position of the office, trackside beside the elevator with the door facing the driveway ramp, is unusual for a complex built at this time. This elevator has been torn down.
Other notable area grain elevators
These are grain elevators within the County of Warner No. 5Warner County No. 5, Alberta
The County of Warner No. 5 is a municipal district in southern Alberta, Canada.It is located in Census Division 2, just north of the United States border. Warner was organised as a rural municipality since 1912, and established in the actual borders since 1954. The seat of the municipality is...
& County of Cardston
Cardston County, Alberta
Cardston County is a municipal district in southern Alberta, Canada. It is located in Census Division 3 around the Town of Cardston.The municipal district was established on January 1, 1954, through the amalgamation of the Municipal District of Sugar City No. 5 and part of the Municipal District of...
, that are of great significance.
Alberta Pacific Elevator Co. Ltd.
(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...
)
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
) was constructed in 1900 from Stirling
Stirling, Alberta
Stirling is a village in the County of Warner No. 5, Alberta, Canada. The village is located on Highway 4, approximately southeast of Lethbridge and northwest of the United States-Canada border....
to Cardston
Cardston, Alberta
-Demographics:The population of the Town of Cardston according to its 2007 municipal census is 3,578.In 2006, it had a population of 3,452 living in 1,234 dwellings, a 0.7% decrease from 2001...
and finished in 1902. The elevator was built in 1905 by the Alberta Pacific Elevator Co. Ltd. A permanent cribbed annex was added to the elevator in 1940. In 1967 the elevator became part of the Federal Line of elevators. Then in 1972 the elevator was taken over by the 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...
but was closed very shortly afterwards and taken over by the Hutterite
Hutterite
Hutterites are a communal branch of Anabaptists who, like the Amish and Mennonites, trace their roots to the Radical Reformation of the 16th century. Since the death of their founder Jakob Hutter in 1536, the beliefs of the Hutterites, especially living in a community of goods and absolute...
colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
at Raley. This elevator has high architectural significance as it is an excellent and the only unaltered example of an Alberta Pacific Elevator Co. 35000 impbu capacity elevator.
The Alberta Pacific elevator at Raley was the first of a number of elevators operating by 1911. It is the only one that has survived, probably because it is now in private hands. By 1911 there were two other elevators at Raley, one was a 30000 impbu elevator built by A.G. Robertson and the other a 15000 impbu elevator operated by Sunny Belt Grain Elevator Co. Ltd. This was upgraded to a 30000 impbu house in 1917. In 1924 the Raley Hutterite colony took over the A.G. Robertson elevator and in 1940 the Alberta Pacific Grain Co. took over the Sunny belt elevator, by this time owned by the N. Bawlf Grain Co. It was operated in conjunction with the original elevator. Both elevators went to the Alberta Wheat Pool in 1972. There was a fourth elevator at Raley, an Alberta Pool Elevator 40000 impbu house built in 1929. This elevator disappears from the records by the late 1930s. The Sunny belt and A.g. Robertson elevators were demolished sometime after 1972.
Ellison Milling And Elevator Co.
(Stirling
Stirling, Alberta
Stirling is a village in the County of Warner No. 5, Alberta, Canada. The village is located on Highway 4, approximately southeast of Lethbridge and northwest of the United States-Canada border....
)
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
-clad
Cladding (construction)
Cladding is the application of one material over another to provide a skin or layer intended to control the infiltration of weather elements, or for aesthetic purposes....
elevator was built by the Ellison And Elevator Co., in 1922. It was built at the railroad junction alongside the Ogilvie elevator built in 1910 by O.F. Ursenbach who was hired by George W. green, general manager. In 1941–1942 during the war years, a frame temporary annex was added to increase the handling to 60000 impbu. In 1962 a bolted-steel tank was built to hold another 12000 impbu of grain increasing the capacity to 72000 impbu. Parrish & Heimbecker
Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd.
Parrish & Heimbecker Limited is a Canadian grain company with about 1500 employees across Canada and the northern United States. The company has several divisions including flour milling, feed milling, grain marketing, transportation and logistics....
bought the elevator in 1975. Later it was sold to a private owner who converted the elevator into a mustard
Mustard (condiment)
Mustard is a condiment made from the seeds of a mustard plant...
plant. Today the elevator has once again been converted into a hemp
Hemp
Hemp is mostly used as a name for low tetrahydrocannabinol strains of the plant Cannabis sativa, of fiber and/or oilseed varieties. In modern times, hemp has been used for industrial purposes including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food and fuel with modest...
plant, supplying hemp products around Southern Alberta
Southern Alberta
Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of the year 2004, the region's population was approximately 272,017. The primary cities are Lethbridge and Medicine Hat...
and 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...
.
Ogilvie Flour Mills
(Wrentham
Wrentham, Alberta
Wrentham is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada within the County of Warner No. 5. It is located southeast of the intersection of the Veteran Memorial Highway and the historic Red Coat Trail , approximately east of the Village of Stirling, south of the Town of Taber and west of the Village of...
)
The elevator itself is still unchanged from its earlier years - the walkway that links the elevator to the office is one of two boxed walkways left in the province. The leg has a rope drive run by a four-cylinder
Cylinder (engine)
A cylinder is the central working part of a reciprocating engine or pump, the space in which a piston travels. Multiple cylinders are commonly arranged side by side in a bank, or engine block, which is typically cast from aluminum or cast iron before receiving precision machine work...
Continental
Continental Motors Company
Continental Motors Company was an American engine and automobile manufacturer. The company produced engines for various independent manufacturers of automobiles, tractors, and stationary equipment from the 1900s through the 1960s. Continental Motors also produced Continental-branded automobiles in...
gasoline engine under the floor of the office.
See also
- Canadian Pacific RailwayCanadian Pacific RailwayThe Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
- United Farmers of AlbertaUnited Farmers of AlbertaThe United Farmers of Alberta is an association of Alberta farmers that has served many different roles throughout its history as a lobby group, a political party, and as a farm-supply retail chain. Since 1934 it has primarily been an agricultural supply cooperative headquartered in Calgary...
- Parrish & Heimbecker
- Inglis elevator rowInglis elevator rowInglis 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...
- Warner, AlbertaWarner, AlbertaWarner 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...
- Grain elevatorGrain elevatorA grain elevator is a tower containing a bucket elevator, which scoops up, elevates, and then uses gravity to deposit grain in a silo or other storage facility...