Elevator work is hard labour. Unloading bagged fertilizer was very hard work. many elevators sold fertilizer and chemicals as part of the elevator business. Prior to fertilizer being sold in bulk in later years, they were sold in 50 pound bags. They were delivered to the elevator by a semi-truck load or by train box car.
At one elevator the fertilizer shed was beside the rail tracks and the box car was positioned in front of the shed. The shed floor was much lower then the box car making for a steep decline. Two planks were laid down from the box car to the shed. The fertilizer bags were stacked 13 or 14 bags high on the box car and then piled that high in the shed. A hand cart was used that could hold seven or eight bags to cart them across the ramp. Usually the load was 5 or 6 bags.
The tricky task was to drive the loaded cart done the planks without tipping or driving off the edge. There was 300 to 400 pounds on the cart. This was manageable except for the spillage of fertilizer. Many fertilizer bags had loose fertilizer in the creases on the end. Some bags had holes or were ripped when loaded. This meant there was fertilizer on the floor and very hard to sweep clear, though we tried. They were like very small ball bearings making traction difficult.
This grain elevator history site is dedicated to the grain elevator, the elevator agent, and understanding their roles in the community. We will document this by posting pictures, artifacts, documents, information, links, stories, first-hand accounts and videos.
Welcome to the Grain Elevator History Project
The Grain Elevator History Project is a project of Just Group which is owned and operated by Trevor Esau. To see more about Just Group go to www.justgroup.ca
Contact Trevor at justcdgroup@gmail.com
INTRODUCTION
We are fascinated by grain elevators. We are struck by their beauty. The colourful landmarks are the subject of paintings, photographs, and pictorial books. The hamlets, villages and towns were defined, in part, by their elevators. We searched for them on the horizon as we drove to each community. The names of the community were clearly visible on the sides of the elevator. They were a distant sign that we were close to home. More than that, grain elevators are part of our own experiences of Canadian culture.
The rise of the country elevator was a strong icon for the strength of rural life in Canada and their destruction a symbol for its weakening. In 1934, the number of grain elevators in Alberta peaked at 1,781. Today there are less then 130 standing and few used by the grain trade. Those left are run down.
We are also telling the inside and hidden histories of the grain elevator through first hand accounts. We invite people to tell us their stories by e-mail. The stories submitted appear in the personal experience page.
Disclaimer
The rise of the country elevator was a strong icon for the strength of rural life in Canada and their destruction a symbol for its weakening. In 1934, the number of grain elevators in Alberta peaked at 1,781. Today there are less then 130 standing and few used by the grain trade. Those left are run down.
We are also telling the inside and hidden histories of the grain elevator through first hand accounts. We invite people to tell us their stories by e-mail. The stories submitted appear in the personal experience page.
Disclaimer
This Elevator History Project is Dedicated to Wilf Esau- Grain Buyer
Wilf at his elevator in McLaughlin, Ab
Pages
©Just Group 2008 - 2016
