The Prairie Grain Elevator. A definite icon on the Saskatchewan landscape. In 1890 there were 90 elevators and the oldest existing elevator is in Fleming Sask. and it was built in 1895. The earliest were built by the CPR along the rail lines to transport grain. In 1910 they earned the name "Prairie Sentinels" and by 1950 there were over 3,035 all across the province. In 1910 the standard 25,000 bushel Grain elevator cost $6,200 to build and in 2001 the cost for the same elevator to build cost $106,000.
After the high number of elevators in 1950 their numbers dropped to 2,750 in 1970 and even lower to 197 in 2004, largely due to the increasing number of large grain terminals around the province.
