The 1923 Parrish & Heimbecker grain elevator at Sharples, Alberta it is representative example of a P&H 30,000 bushel elevator of this period. It originally had a 12 ton Fairbanks scale and a 10 hp engine. Two 26,000 bushel annexes were built in 1939 (though only one remains standing) and in 1943-44, P&H handled 125,549 bushels of wheat! When the adjacent rail line closed in 1982, the elevator was then closed. Its neighbor, a former 1927 AB Pacific elevator, was demolished though the P&H survived being used by a local farmer for grain storage. Of particular note is the nearby barn, which was owned by P&H and was used to rest farmer’s horses that pulled wagons full of grain to the elevator. This is the only elevator in the province of Alberta that has a barn associated with it still standing.
Visited with permission from the landowner - July 2018
- Jason Paul Sailer
The rail line they closed down was there just for the grain is my guess.
ReplyDeleteDo they still grow grain in that part of the world? They have found some other way of dealing with it seeing as they have closed all those rail lines & left the elevators to rot.
Do you know how the grain is handled today? Just curious this morning... Nice pictures!
Hello.
DeleteActually, the railway line was also used for cattle, some freight, and coal as well as it would of ran into Drumheller to connect to the mines there. Coal was a big export in the region.
Yes grain is still grown, there are several large farms in and around the area of the elevator. Most times the farmer uses large trucks to haul the grain to the next elevator location. There, it is loaded onto the trains and hauled off to market. Like what was done in the past, but the main difference is bigger trucks, bigger elevators, and bigger trains.
Thanks for commentating!
I really like that arty shot through the chain links.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I try to go for the different angles when I visit a place.
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