Key Number:	HS 63207
Site Name:	Meeting Creek - Alberta Pacific Grain Co. Elevator
Other Names:
Site Type:	0416 - Mercantile/Commercial: Storage Elevator

Location

ATS Legal Description:

			Twp	Rge	Mer
			43	19	4

Address:	N/A
Number:	N/A
Street:	N/A
Avenue:	N/A
Other:
Town:	Meeting Creek
Near Town:

Media

Type	Number	Date	View	Source

Architectural

Style:	Single Wood Elevator
Plan Shape:	Square
Storeys:	Basement: Partial Below Ground Level
Foundation:	Basement/Foundation Wall Material: Stone
Superstructure:
Superstructure Cover:	Metal: Sheet
Roof Structure:	Elevator: Gable on Pyramid, Medium Cupola
Roof Cover:
Exterior Codes:	Roof Trim - Eaves: Plain Fascia Roof Trim Material - Eaves: Wood Roof Trim - Verges: Plain Fascia Roof Trim Material - Verges: Wood Window - Opening Mechanism: Single or Double Hung Window - Pane Arrangements: 6 over 6 Elevator: Logo: Alberta Pacific Grain Elevator: Paint Colour: Other Elevator: Loading Spout: Box Car Elevator: Driveway Door: Board & Batten Double Doors Elevator: Driveway Door: Sliding Door: Double Board & Batten Elevator: Driveway: Extended Driveway Exit Elevator: Driveway: Wood Ramp Elevator: Associated Buildings: Outhouse & Storage
Exterior:	Color of metal cladding is silver.
Interior:	Restored and in working order.
Environment:	Situated at N end of row of two remaining elevators - E side of tracks.
Condition:	Good (1997).
Alterations:	Restoration late 1980s.

Historical

Construction:	Construction Date:
Construction Started	1918/01/01
Usage:	Usage Date:
Grain Handling Interpretive Centre ca.	1918/01/01 1990/01/01
Owner:	Owner Date:
Alberta Pacific Grain Co. Federal Grain Ltd Alberta Wheat Pool Canadian Northern Society (late)	1918/01/01 1967/01/01 1972/01/01 1980/01/01

Architect:	N/A
Builder:	N/A
Craftsman:	N/A
History:	MEETING CREEK - ALBERTA PACIFIC GRAIN CO . HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE In 1912 Burrard Grain Co. built the first grain elevator on a branch line through Meeting Creek. The next year Alberta Pacific Grain Co. built their first elevator in Meeting Creek and in 1916 the Alberta Farmers' Co-operative Elevator Co. built a 35,000-bushel elevator. In 1917 the Alberta Pacific Grain Co. elevator disappears from the record. By December 1918 a new 30,000 bushel elevator was licensed by the company. This elevator closed in the late 1980s and was acquired by Canadian Northern Society to preserve as an interpretive centre. The Alberta Prairie Steam Tours Ltd. have included Meeting Creek as a stop on their excursions. The Central Western Railway, that now owns this line, has plans to abandon the track. ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE This elevator is an excellent example of the standard plan elevator built by Alberta Pacific Grain Co. INTEGRITY The elevator has been restored to its original condition and repainted in the Alberta Pacific Grain Co. colour of white with black logo letters. SITE CONTEXT The elevator is located at the north end of the siding at Meeting Creek, opposite the 1913 station house, on the other side of the tracks. The Alberta Wheat Pool 1936 elevator (now also privately owned) is located to the south. The shrinking hamlet of Meeting Creek lies to the west of the elevators. Heritage Significance: The Alberta Pacific Grain Elevator at Meeting Creek was constructed in 1917 and is an excellent and rare example of an all-wood, Prairie Vernacular industrial building designed to grade, weigh, store and ship grain. The elevator is historically significant in that it has represented the economic heart of this rural community and its hinterland from practically its inception. It also represents a method of grain handling that predates the large co-operative endeavors of the 1920s onward. Very few grain elevators of this vintage have survived in the province. The presence of grain handling artifacts inside adds to the site's historic worth. Architectural Details: The three buildings that make up the complex include the 26 000 bushel grain elevator with an attached drive shed, the office, which also serves as a powerhouse, and a small outbuilding, consisting of three bays to store fuel as well as housing the toilet. All buildings have been clad on the exterior with sheet metal paneling for fire protection. These structures have also experienced some alterations including: the removal of the compressor and air tank to power the hoist (the hoisting equipment is still connected to the weigh scale), the conversion of the engine to an electric motor, and the replacement of belts, pulleys and worn wood parts of the conveyor belt enclosure as required for good operation. During restoration the exterior of the elevator was returned to its original colors and an engine similar to the original in the power house was installed. HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE The community of Meeting Creek developed shortly after the arrival of the railway to the district in 1911. Across the tracks, directly facing the hamlet’s main street, the first grain elevator was erected by the Alberta Pacific Grain Company. The date of construction is listed on the designation application form as 1917-18. A photo of the hamlet dated 1914, however, clearly shows this wood frame elevator as the most prominent structure in the skyline. Although Meeting Creek never developed into Village status, it was for years the centre of a rich agricultural hinterland north of Buffalo Lake. During the 1920s, the Searle Grain Company and the Alberta Wheat Pool also built grain elevators there. In later years, the Alberta Pacific elevator was given a metal veneer and, in 1972, sold to the Alberta Wheat Pool. Today, the structure complements the adjacent railway station, which also dates from the pre-1920 period. The Alberta Pacific Grain Elevator in Meeting Creek is historically significant in that it represents the economic heart of this rural community and its hinterland from, practically, its inception. It also represents a method of grain handling that predates the large cooperative endeavours of the 1920s onward. Very few grain elevators of this vintage have survived in the province. The presence of early grain handling artifacts inside adds to its historical worth.

Internal

Designation Status:	Designation Date:
Provincial Historic Resource	2001/10/19

Register:	N/A

Links

Internet:
Alberta Register of Historic Places: