Grain Elevator: Alberta, Buffalo And Grain Elevator Pictures

Grain elevators are buildings used to store grain from local growers for shipment to end users by trucks, railroads, and barges. The original model was designed and built in Buffalo, N.Y., by inventor Joseph Dart, who also designed the “marine leg,” a steam-powered device for transferring grain directly from cargo ships into storage silos.

The basic principle is simple: A bucket elevator is used to lift the grain up and into the silo for storage. When it is time for shipping, the elevator uses the force of gravity to empty the grain from the silo. Then, it is weighed and exported to various manufacturers. While they certainly offered a more efficient solution for storage and shipping of grain than bags, the wooded models of the 19th century were susceptible to frequent fires. Today’s grain elevators are often constructed with steel or reinforced concrete to prevent the threat of fire.

To this day, travelers can still see some of the world’s largest grain elevators in Buffalo, right where they began. While many of Buffalo's majestic elevators are no longer operating, they still present quite a view. Travelers can also see grain elevators across the prairies of North America and large structures at major distribution centers, primarily in the Midwest and Canada. Many of today’s grain elevators are massive structures, with two elevators in Kansas spreading a half a mile in length.

Although grain elevators were once a crucial part of the farming community, they seem to be disappearing across the nation. Back in the 1930's, 27,000 grain elevators could be found in the United States. However, now only a mere half of these great structures still exist. With the sight of a grain elevator once being a symbol of character for these small farming towns, its absence is now causing somewhat of an identity crisis; they've been replaced by larger, more centralized industrial elevators, which serve a number of farming communities. Many farmers have even gone to the lengths of having their own personal grain elevator constructed on their farms.

With so few of these traditional elevators still in existence in the United States, many people are rushing to keep these historical structures alive. In 1993, Lisa Mahar-Keplinger published the book, “Grain Elevators,” in honor of the existing grain elevators still found in our nation. This book was such a hit that it was awarded with the international architecture book award from the American Institute of Architects.

Without the invention of the incredible grain elevator, the agriculture business would definitely not be what is today. The grain elevator revolutionized the exportation of grains for the farming industry. However, when Joseph Dart first invented this elevator back in the 1800s, he may have had no idea just how much this seemingly practical building could inspire future architects the way it did. It does not seem that the charming, old-fashioned grain elevator will ever truly be forgotten.


Sources:
"Grain Elevator." Wikipedia. 19 June 2007. 6 July 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grain_elevator
"Grain Elevators Disappearing from Rural Landscape." Assocaited Press. 3 July 2007. KXNet.com. 6 July 2007. http://www.kxmd.com/getArticle.asp?ArticleId=14046 2
Slesin, Suzanne. "The Romance of the Most American Structures." The New York Times. 27 May 1993. 6 July 2007. http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/articl e?res=F00613FE39550C748EDDAC0894DB494D81