The Prairies Changing Landscape

Not so long ago, the prairie skyline was interrupted by the vertical lines of grain elevators. Built by grain companies, elevators dominated the horizon and a pattern developed as hamlets and villages took root around them. Railway lines crisscrossed the prairies. By 1934, the number of elevators in Alberta had peaked at 1,755. In 1951, there were still 1,651 elevators. But landscapes change and evolve. Today, the country grain elevator has all but disappeared. By the end of the 1996- 1997 crop year, there were only 327 elevators remaining. By 2002, that number was reduced to 161 with more demolitions slated. This is my tribute to them.