Disappearing sentinels: 5 grain elevators worth exploring in the capital region

Alberta's grain elevators, those iconic symbols of the Prairies where harvests were weighed, sold, stored and shipped by rail, are now destinations for summer escapes in the capital region.

Sid Livingstone looks up at the wooden beams inside an elevator at 120 Railway Ave. in Spruce Grove, 30 kilometres west of Edmonton.

"It's the workmanship and what it stands for," says Livingstone, president of the Spruce Grove and District Agricultural Society.

The elevator, built in 1958, was decommissioned in 1995 and designated a provincial historic resourcein 2020. It's now open to the public for the summer and is free to tour.

The elevator was purchased for $1. It sits alongside a water tower,the museum and archivebuildingsand a red barn.

It's a gathering place for the community on Saturdays for the farmers market and for special events like the 50th anniversary agricultural society celebrations, set for August.

"We've had people come from other parts of Alberta that have no elevators in theircommunity anymore so they come here. It brings back memories for them," says Livingstone

'It's a great showcase of the history of agriculture'

2 years ago

Duration 1:50

Take a tour and learn more about the Spruce Grove Grain Elevator west of Edmonton, Alta.

You can see more from the Spruce Grove Grain Elevator this week on Our Edmonton Saturday at 10 a.m., Sunday at noon and 11 a.m. Monday on CBC TV and CBC Gem.

The elevator in Spruce Grove is a prime example of the telltalesentinels of the Prairies, but there are others to see in the capital region.

St. Albert Grain Elevator Park

Two Alberta Wheat Pool grain elevators dating back to 1906 and 1929 are at 4 Meadowview Dr. in St. Albert.

St. Albert Grain Elevator Park is used for public functions like the Food Truck Event on June 19 from 12-4 p.m.

Geared to Father's Day, it's a free event featuring a dozen food trucks, live music and public tours of the grain elevators and historic homes on River Lots 23 and 24 exploringMtis and French Canadian history.

Leduc Heritage Grain Elevator

An Alberta Wheat Pool elevator a 30-metre tall, 32-bin single composite wood crib design was built in 1978 and saved by local volunteers.

It sits at 52nd Avenue and 47th Street in Leduc, where six other elevators once stood.

The Alberta Legacy Development Society isa registered historic site hosting community events and public tours. Learn more about the elevator is available here.

'it's pretty much exactly as they left it'

4 years ago

Duration 1:45

Take a tour with museum coordinator Kerry Atkinson of the Leduc Heritage Grain Elevator.

The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village

A half-hour drive east of Edmonton along Highway 16, the grain elevator is one of more than 40 buildingsat the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, a site managed by the province of Alberta.

The Bellis Home Grain Co. elevatoris staffed by costumed interpreters.

It's open Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Big picture on big Prairie landmarks

Leo Wieser, president of the Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Centre, says Edmonton and area organizations have done a good job of preserving these historic resources.

"There's a number of them still standing, which is fantastic," says Wieser.

"The last count that I saw was that we were getting down into the 150 range, and this compared to the 1950s in Alberta alone, we were at almost 3,000 elevators," Wieser says.

• River lots offer view of Mtis and French Canadian history
• Prairie gold: Alberta's grain elevators reimagined to bring a new cool to old sentinels of the pool
• Canada's oldest grain elevator falls in fiery heap in southwest Manitoba

Wieser points to the huge expense to maintain the structures and the fact many end up falling to fire, like the Lake of the Woods Milling Company grain elevator in Elva, in southwest Manitoba, in April of this year.

Canada's oldest grain elevator 125-year-old wood was ignited in a flash by a single ember.