
The battle to save Canada's grain elevators - BobbyVsTheDevil
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/17/canada-prairie-castles-cathedrals-battle-to-save
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rmason
Drove out to Calgary in 1982, both for The Stampede which is truly the world's
best rodeo and to see Banff and Jasper.

Driving out on Highway 1 the brightly painted grain elevators were iconic. I
even bought a calendar on my trip that featured these colorful wooden
elevators. Those sentinels defined the little towns they were in. Stood out
versus the ones that didn't have them, guess they're afraid of their town
being anonymous. Losing their towns identity.

Just like barns there isn't enough public interest to save more than a few.
But I do hope they do so future generations can see a little of the Canadian
history that truly made their West.

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ortusdux
There is one at the center of my hometown. Easily the most iconic thing in
town. I spoke with the owner about possible things to do with it. He explored
some options, but the cost to get it up to code would take decades to recoup.
He was able to pay to preserve it by leasing it out as a cell tower.
Surprisingly, you really have to look for the low-profile antennas to see
them.

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brailsafe
I like that idea. I get miserable service out at my family's cabin in rural
MB, but elevators are by far the highest things around.

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CarelessExpert
The old joke, when driving through the prairies, is that folks would pass the
time by counting grain elevators.

I'm not one to assume that just because something is old or traditional, it
must be preserved at all costs. But it is true that a certain architectural
and cultural character will be lost when the last wooden grain elevator is
taken down on the Canadian prairies.

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trhway
now imagine reverse situation - trying to put up a new grain elevator or may
be a wind mill - people will rise to fight against potential
obstruction/spoiling of their view. Any change is bad by default :)

>“Driving across the flat parts of Canada and being able to see these
architectural elements juxtaposed against the landscape, it really is
magical,”

Well, probably in 100 or 200 years the descendants of Kennedy and others
powerful Cape Cod dwellers will say the same about the future wind farm off
the coast of Cape Cod which they so far have successfully been able to fight
against.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Wind](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Wind)

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munk-a
I am not certain why there's such a big push to save these. It sounds like a
lot of communities involved in this sort of effort are barely scraping by to
begin with so diverting a chunk of change into a historical prop seems a bit
silly. Is there any educational value tied to the grain elevators or is it
purely like Boston's Citgo sign - just a thing that's always been there?

~~~
oh_sigh
Imagine them like the inland equivalent of light houses. Mostly useless these
days, but they have been a major part of the landscape for every living
person's lifetime, and they have an emotional attachment to them.

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orbitingpluto
The worn wood in grain elevators can be truly amazing from decades of grain
eroding the wood and creating beautiful smooth surfaces. It would be a shame
to tear it down without reclaiming it.

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saltypal
This documentary (as with so many on the NFB site) is a quiet and thoughtful
look at a co-op elevator in operation.
[https://www.nfb.ca/film/grain_elevator/](https://www.nfb.ca/film/grain_elevator/)

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rectang
> _... built almost entirely from wood, and with fine grain clogging every
> crevice of most elevators, the ageing buildings are highly combustible._

A YouTube search for "grain elevator fire" shows why "Once they start burning,
the local fire department can't put them out."

[https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=grain+elevator+...](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=grain+elevator+fire)

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ucaetano
It isn't just "can't put them out", grain dust is explosive. Grain elevators
are time bombs.

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dbcurtis
Not after the dust has settled and been removed. Aerosol dust, yes nasty. But
inless there is enough of it it and also aerosolized, it won’t explode.

