Our Changing Landscape

At one time, not so long ago, our prairie skyline with its strong horizontal lines was interrupted by an equally strong vertical element - that of the country grain elevator. But landscapes do not remain static. They change and they evolve. Today, the country grain elevator has all but disappeared. The accelerated rate of its disappearance is evidence of a revolution in the transportation and grain industries, a revolution that affects the landscape and ultimately our relationship to it.

Prairie Rhythms

For decades the elevators dominated our horizon at more or less regular intervals, allowing us a means by which we could measure our progress across the landscape. A rhythmic pattern was established as hamlets and villages took root adjacent to the grain elevators.

During the first decades of the 20th century, railway lines criss-crossed the prairies like spiderwebs. Springing up closely behind were standard- designed elevators built by grain companies. Constructed on land leased from the railways, the elevators rose above the horizontal plane every eight to ten miles - a day's travel for a farmer using a horse and wagon. By 1934, the number of elevators in Alberta peaked at 1,755.

Disrupted Rhythms

Who remembers such places as Dalroy, Buffalo or Fitzallen? Many more elevator points have disappeared over the years. The rapid and irrevocable transformation of our landscape is not a new phenomenon, but one that is a continuation of earlier, largely unnoticed, patterns.

Shifts in population from the countryside to the cities, improved roads, and mechanized farm equipment, were trends that began as early as the 1930s, but accelerated after World War II. Fewer people worked larger farms. The grain companies found it more economical to abandon small one- and two-elevator points and to centralize their services in larger communities.

With the recommendation of the Hall Commission in 1977 to abandon large sections of the rail network, closure of elevator points followed. Sometimes elevators were moved by the grain companies to another point or sold to producers. In today's climate of closure elevator companies opt for demolition, citing liability, insurance, and tax concerns.

Elevator Closures

In 1951 there were 1,651 elevators in Alberta. By the end of the 1996-1997 crop year there were 327 elevators remaining. Can you find your town on these lists?

New Monoliths

Since the 1960s both the transportation and grain industries have been streamlining and consolidating their businesses in an effort to cut costs to remain competitive. The consolidation of delivery points has seen the upgrading of some elevators, and now, the construction of large capacity high throughput inland terminals.

The need for increased capacity for grain handling and storage was first addressed in the 1960s with the construction of wood crib composite elevators. Their familiar design and location along "elevator row" ensured that they blended into their communities.

By the 1980s grain companies began experimenting with a variety of new designs and materials. The big change came in the 1990s. Deregulation of the railways, the demise of the Crow rate and a move by the grain companies to position themselves globally led to the construction of high throughput terminals. Their capability of handling 52-car trains means that the terminals have to be built far beyond town limits.

Elevator Openings

1950-1960 : 5 openings - Hays, Lyalta, Stewart, Tangent, Valentine

1960-1970 : 4 openings - Manning, Hawk Hills, Keg River, Kinuso

1971-1981 : 2 openings - Ervick, Valleyview

1981-1991 : 6 openings - Dunmore, Woodgrove, Gaudin, Kuusamo, Manola, Three Cities

1992-1995 : 3 openings - La Crete, Redcoat, Smoky River

1996/97 : 2 openings - Legacy Junction, Starland