By Curtis Galbraith

Sexsmith’s last wooden elevator to become a museum

Jan 29, 2019 | 4:30 AM

The work to restore the last wooden grain elevator in Sexsmith will start in June.
 
Florence Blais with the community’s Elevator Preservation Committee says they will be replacing the shingles starting on June 3.
 
“It’s a partnership with Alberta Historical Resources. They’ve given us matching grants in the amount of $73,800 towards the re-shingling of the roof.”
 
Blais says replacing the shingles will take about a month. She adds they will then start applying for grants in hopes of doing the painting next summer. The hope is it will eventually become a museum.
 
“We’re hoping in four years it’s going to be the outside of the building (finished) as well as removing all the dust and debris from the inside and then we’ll start on the inside phase, which will be (putting up) the artifacts and stories and such and displays them so we can start doing tours of the building.”
 
Blais says it is important to preserve this piece of history.
 
“There’s only four left in northern Alberta. This is the only one that has everything inside that’s original that has the chance of preservation.”
 
Sexsmith was the Grain Capital of the British Empire from 1938 to 1947 because it shipped more grain than anywhere else.