Elva, Manitoba

This elevator, constructed in 1897, is believed to be the oldest grain elevator in Canada still located at its original site. (A slightly older one, at Fleming, Saskatchewan, was destroyed by arson fire in 2010.) It was taken out of service and sold around 1968, and has been standing vacant ever since.

Photo: Gordon Goldsborough (2014)

Manitoba Pool

This elevator, one of two operated by Manitoba Pool in the village of Sperling, was demolished in March 2015. 
It was the last elevator in the community.

Photo: Manitoba Historic Resources Branch (1992)

Moline Co-operative

This elevator, built in 1928 for the Moline Co-operative Elevator Association No. 127, closed in December 1978 when the adjacent CNR line was abandoned. It stood vacant until at least the early 1990s before being removed from the site.

Photo: Manitoba Historic Resources Branch (1992)

Tyndall Pool

The former Manitoba Pool elevator and annex at Tyndall in the RM of Brokenhead closed in July 1971 
and were used for over 40 years by a livestock feed dealer. They are still standing.

Photo: Bernie Freeman

In the 1950s, there were over 700 grain elevators in Manitoba. Today, there are fewer than 200. You can help to preserve the legacy of these disappearing “Prairie sentinels.”

The Manitoba Historical Society (MHS) is gathering information about all elevators that ever stood in Manitoba, regardless of their present status. Collaborating with the Manitoba Co-operator it is supplying these images of a grain elevator each week in hopes readers will be able to tell the society more about it, or any other elevator they know of.

MHS Gordon Goldsborough webmaster and Journal editor has developed a website to post your replies to a series of questions about elevators. The MHS is interested in all grain elevators that have served the farm community.

Your contributions will help gather historical information such as present status of elevators, names of companies, owners and agents, rail lines, year elevators were built — and dates when they were torn down (if applicable).

There is room on the website to post personal recollections and stories related to grain elevators. The MHS presently also has only a partial list of all elevators that have been demolished. You can help by updating that list if you know of one not included on that list.

Your contributions are greatly appreciated and will help the MHS develop a comprehensive, searchable database to preserve the farm community’s collective knowledge of what was once a vast network of grain elevators across Manitoba.

Please contribute to the This Old Grain Elevator website here. You will receive a response, by email or phone call, confirming that your submission was received.

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