Warner Elevator Row - Other Notable Area Grain Elevators

Other Notable Area Grain Elevators

These are grain elevators within the County of Warner No. 5 & County of Cardston, that are of great significance.

Alberta Pacific Elevator Co. Ltd. (Raley)

The Alberta Pacific Elevator at Raley was built as a 35,000-imperial-bushel (1,300 m3) 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. 35,000-imperial-bushel (1,300 m3) 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 30,000-imperial-bushel (1,100 m3) elevator built by A.G. Robertson and the other a 15,000-imperial-bushel (550 m3) elevator operated by Sunny Belt Grain Elevator Co. Ltd. This was upgraded to a 30,000-imperial-bushel (1,100 m3) 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 40,000-imperial-bushel (1,500 m3) 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 30,000-imperial-bushel (1,100 m3) 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 60,000 imperial bushels (2,200 m3). In 1962 a bolted-steel tank was built to hold another 12,000 imperial bushels (440 m3) of grain increasing the capacity to 72,000 imperial bushels (2,600 m3). 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 32,000-imperial-bushel (1,200 m3) 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 a 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.

Plans to salvage and save this elevator are still in the making. The Galt Historic Railway Park has shown interest in moving the elevator to preserve at their historic railway park in Stirling. Costs to move the elevator and annex is said to be $100,000.00.