The first grain elevator in the Town of Nanton was built in 1905 by the Nanton Grain & Lumber Co. Over the years, the town expanded its grain storage capacity, eventually boasting a total of seven elevators lined up in a row. Today, only three of these historic elevators remain standing. These surviving structures, constructed in 1927 and 1929, are the last of the original seven and serve as a lasting tribute to Nanton's rich argicultural heritage.The grain elevators in Nanton are "twinning" a former Alberta Wheat Pool, a former Pioneer elevator and the Nanton Seed Cleaning plant. All grain elevators were shut down in 2000 by the Alberta Wheat Pool.
In early 2001, the community of Nanton learned that the town's three remaining grain elevators were slated for demolition. Determined to preserve a piece of their history the community members rallied and by April 2002 their efforts led to the formation of the Nanton and District Grain Elevator Historical and Cultural Society. The action called "Save One" was incredibly successful and resulted in being able to, not only save one, but raised enough money to restore all three of the elevators; painting them in the original Alberta Wheat colours, rebuilding the railway tracks, restoring the inside with the intent to preserve these prairie icons. Later the society decided to open up a discovery centre educating visitors about Nanton's and Alberta's agriculture history. Grain elevators are disappearing from the Canadian landscape in a staggering rate, currently there are only 120 elevators left in Alberta, a number that's dropped from more than 5000 in 1950s. It's estimated around 10 to 15 elevators disappear every year, and are gone forever. But the small town of Nanton is leading the tech race by preserving the grain elevators digitally, in a virtual reality project involving the University of Calgary, SAIT and Lethbridge College, using drones and 3D modelling to ensure these landmarks will be preserved for generations to come, ensuring that their history lives on, even as the world around them changes.
LOGGING REQUIREMENTS:
1. Take a photo of you AT the grain elevator of choice. If you do not want your face in the photo, you can show yourself and your GPS, or your geocaching name and date written on a piece of paper with in the background the elevator of your choice. This photo must be posted with your Found log.
2. Message me (using the Geocaching Message Center)
a. Put "Nanton Grain Elevators' GCAJJV2 on top.
b. Nature of your visit i.e. purpose to visit this cache, on route north/south (destination).
c. How many pieces of farm equipment are on display at GZ
d. What is the phone number (on the blue sign in the window) if/when you need to report a concern?
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.