Records indicate this to be the oldest standing commercial elevator remaining in Alberta. This was built by the Alberta Pacific Elevator Co. in 1905. There is one older elevator in Alberta, near Olds and built in 1903. Its date of construction can't be confirmed and it was built on a farm as a private elevator.
The elevator remained in the Alberta Pacific stable until 1967, when it was bought by the Federal Grain Co. It appears that it returned to the possession of Alberta Pacific in 1972. This is one of the very few elevators to still bear the Alberta Pacific lettering on its exterior.
The Alberta Heritage Registry doesn't indicate the elevator's capacity, nor when the annex was added.
Another source indicates that the annex was added to the elevator in 1940 and that the elevator's capacity is 35,000 bushels. Clad in steel tiles, it's beginning to lose its coat and now appears quite forlorn and abandoned. Inside, most of the works are still in place, including the scale and the man lift.
This is quite an interesting old elevator, surrounded only by a farmer's field. We don't even know if there was once much of a town at Raley, as there is today no indication of one.
Alberta Pacific Elevator - Raley
Exterior:
The trackside loading design is typical, characterized by a single board and batten door and double single sash window in a bay that is inset from the exterior wall. A second similar window is located to the east of the loading area. The original loading spout for box cars is in place. The existence of this window indicates that the bin does not run to the exterior wall on the east side and that there is a space for between the last bin and the exterior wall storage to the east of the loading area.
The driveway has a heightened shed roofed second storey, presumably to house a grain cleaner. A braced shed roofed extension protrudes from the side of the driveway floor, a set of steps once led up to a door to this extension that faces the entrance ramp. A second braced extension protrudes further to the east, and has two sets of double hung single sash windows to give light to the driveway work area.
Interior:
Air hoist still in place. Air compressor still in working order - scale appears not to be working.
From the Alberta Registry