Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Centre

Nanton, Alberta

Type: Industrial
Address: 2119 19 Ave, Nanton, AB T0L 1R0, Canada
Get directions
Hours: Mid July to September: Thursday to Sunday 9am to 4 pm
Phone: (403) 646-1146

The Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Centre is a set of 3 wooden crib grain elevators located in the town of Nanton, Alberta, Canada. The centre’s goal is to preserve these early examples of the Canadian agricultural industry, to educate visitors about the town’s, and Alberta’s, agricultural history, and to encourage visitors to experience the elevators in as many unique ways as possible.

Amenities

Family-Friendly
Guided Tour
Washrooms

Fun Facts

– pilots training in the area during WW2 used the elevators as location markers for practice flights but were told off as there are no such structures in Europe. The only equivalent were the churches and thus came the term Prairie Cathedrals.

– grain elevators were spaced along the railway lines approximately 7 to 11 miles apart which were about a day of travel by horse and wagon.

– grain elevators were usually placed at the lowest point in the terrain so horses would take a full load down hill rather than uphill.

– a wooden crib elevator took approximately two weeks to construct with a team of 6 crew. Their construction was unique to Canada and parts of northern USA. At their peak popularity there were over 6000 of these structures in Canada.

– There are only just over 100 of this style of elevator left in Alberta