Train Stations & Grain Elevators
Train Stations
The growth of Prairie communities depended greatly on the railway. The railway brought many people to the Prairies. Supplies and machinery were transported by train. The railway was also used to ship farm produce.
People buy their ticket at the train station and wait for the train to arrive.
PHOTO CREDIT: WESTERN DEVELOPMENT MUSEUM
The creation of the railway across Canada was essential for the settlement of the Prairies.
PHOTO CREDIT: SASKATCHEWAN HISTORY ALBUM
This train station was built in 1902 in Theodore, SK.
Grain Elevator
The building of grain elevators began in the late 1800s. Grain elevators were large buildings that were built in each town, along the railway. Farmers would bring their grain to the elevator to sell it. The elevator would clean and store the grain and then sell the big quantities of grain to customers around the world.
In the early 1900s, there were grain elevators every 10-15 kilometres.
Photo Credit: Western Development Museum
This grain elevator is being built in Estevan, SK.
The grain was shipped by railway to ports in Vancouver and Thunder Bay where it would be transferred into ships. Saskatchewan wheat went all over the world. In 1925, Saskatchewan produced over half of the wheat in the Dominion of Canada and exported about 70% of it.
In 1930, there were 3200 wooden grain elevators in Saskatchewan. Now, there’s less than 300 that are still standing.
Grain Elevator