Nanton, Alta.’s iconic grain elevators are now provincial historic resources
Residents living in Nanton, Alta. are celebrating a decision to designate the town's iconic grain elevators as provincial historic resources, saving them from demolition.
The threesome, two green twin elevators and an orange one, sit next to the railway.
They were decommissioned in 2002 and faced demolition, but the designation means the Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Centre, which operates from the historical buildings, can now apply for government grants to help with restorative work.
"We really want to hold onto the historic feel, but we want to be engaged, we want to be changing with the times," said Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Centre board president Leo Wieser.
"We have painting that needs to be done, we have wood work that needs to be done, but we're also looking to do some expansion to our orange elevators. We want to get it up to a code where we can bring people in and we can have conventions and we can have events and we can do our movies inside."
The elevators are 95 and 93 years old.
Wieser says it has been nearly ten years since work began to designate the sites as historical.
"It's so rare in Calgary and in southern Alberta that that buildings reach 100 years, especially industrial buildings," said Wieser.
The Nanton grain elevators have been designated provincial historic resources."We might see some stuff happening this summer," he said. "Fingers crossed, some of those grants come through, and this is going to be a 10-year plan."
Town councillor Roger Miller says he’s hopeful tourism numbers will jump because of the designation, as the public will be keen to learn about Nanton's history.
"We’re hoping that this will be a full-day event," Miller said. "Come to Nanton, check out the grain elevators and the history here, and check out the downtown."
The facilities are run by a small group of volunteers that care for the buildings as much as possible.
The Nanton grain elevators have been designated provincial historic resources.Lifelong Nanton resident John Berger says it would have been sad to see the elevators go.
"These elevators have endured since the time of settlement in 1904 – 1905, and the young men and women going to war in the First World War and Second World War, and the settlers coming by the train," said Berger.
"The train brought life to the community and it hauled our grain away."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Shooting outside of Drake's Bridle Path mansion, 1 person seriously injured: source
Toronto police are investigating a shooting that took place outside of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion early Tuesday morning, a source tells CP24.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Quebec to limit sperm donations per donor after 3 men from same family father hundreds of children
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
How to overcome 'savings guilt' when you're living paycheque to paycheque
As the higher cost of living continues to squeeze household budgets, many Canadians find they have even less left over at the end of every month to squirrel away for the future.
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.