Azure Elevator - Azure, AB
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T0SHEA
N 50° 30.086 W 113° 52.290
12U E 296372 N 5598323
Five miles south of the town of High River in southern Alberta, this elevator has been in private hands for 53 years as of 2015. It was a commercial elevator for a much lesser time, only 35 years.
Waymark Code: WMPF1R
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 08/21/2015
Views: 2
Originally an Alberta Pacific elevator, this one was built in 1927 and used by AP until 1962. At that time it was bought by local farmer Sam Brown and used for grain storage on his farm. Never moved from its original location, it has been in continuous use for private storage up to the present. Though he is no longer with us, Sam's name, S. Brown, is still emblazoned on the sides of the elevator below the town name of Azure.
It's not known if there was ever an actual town of Azure or if Azure was simply a rail siding. There were, however two elevators at the siding, ownership of the other one unknown. The Alberta Pacific Grain Company existed from 1911 until 1967, when it became a part of its parent company, Federal Grain Company. The Alberta Grain Company was established in 1900 by Nicholas Bawlf and associates and in 1911 merged with the Alberta Pacific Company Limited to become the Alberta Pacific Grain Company Limited.
The rail line which served Azure was the CPR MacLeod Subdivision, built in about 1892-93 and abandoned from High River south in the late 1990s. It ran from Calgary to Fort MacLeod, primarily to service the grain elevators along the line. In the early years, however, it carried a great many passengers and much general freight. Passenger service was discontinued in either 1965 or 1971, depending on the source.
