Alberta Pacific Grain Silo | Alberta Photo Spot

The Alberta Pacific Grain elevator at Meeting Creek is a prime example of a wood-cribbed prairie grain elevator built in 1917. These iconic structures have long represented western Canada, yet their numbers have dwindled over recent decades due to modernization and the shift to high-throughput facilities. With a capacity of approximately 40,000 bushels of cereal grain, the Meeting Creek elevator played a significant role in the local farming community until its closure in 1984. The attached office, connected by a walkway to the main driveway, functioned as a hub for elevator agents to conduct company business and settle payments with farmers for their grain deliveries.

A hydraulic engine in the office’s back portion drove the main conveyor or “leg” of the elevator. Grain delivered to the driveway was weighed, graded, and dumped into a pit before being elevated to the top of the structure using a vertical conveyor. The agent would then utilize a “Gerber wheel” to select bins for grain storage. Eventually, the grain was emptied from the bins, re-elevated, and loaded into rail cars for transport to the market. In 1990, after its donation to the Canadian Northern Society, the Meeting Creek elevator became a preserved historical site, showcasing a vital part of western Canada’s agricultural heritage.

(Meeting Creek, Alberta, Canada)