Description of Historic Place

The United Grain Growers - Alberta Wheat Pool Grain Elevator Site Complex is part of a historic row of grain elevators and auxiliary buildings in the hamlet of Rowley and includes twinned grain elevators, an engine shed, and an office building. The twinned grain elevators feature thick, windowless shafts crowned by cupolas.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the United Grain Growers - Alberta Wheat Pool Grain Elevator Site Complex lies in its association with the development of grain-handling and shipping facilities in the province, its high degree of integrity as an example of a typical period grain elevator complex, and its landmark value.

In 1909, in an effort to expand settlement and development in Alberta, Premier Alexander Rutherford offered railway companies bond guarantees to construct new rail lines in the province. The Alberta Midland Railway Company responded by laying a track from Vegreville to Calgary via Drumheller in 1911. The townsite of Rowley developed along this line, at a location roughly 25 kilometres north of Drumheller. The community at Rowley provided services to the mixed farming operations in the district. During the First World War, with bumper crops and high grain prices feeding agricultural prosperity, several grain elevators were erected in Rowley. The United Grain Growers (U.G.G.) elevator was built in 1917 during this boom time in the district. This structure was acquired by the Alberta Wheat Pool (A.W.P.) in 1928. In 1940, with grain prices again rising as Britain prepared for war, the Alberta Wheat Pool erected a twin elevator alongside the 1917 construction. With the discontinuation of freight rail services between Rowley and Morrin in 1989, the elevator closed down.

The United Grain Growers - Alberta Wheat Pool Grain Elevator Site Complex is a fine example of a twinned elevator complex with auxiliary structures built in Alberta between the late 1910s and 1940. The elevators feature traditional crib design and embody the standard grain elevator design developed by the United Grain Growers in 1917. The United Grain Growers elevator is the sole extant example of an elevator constructed by the United Grain Growers in Alberta; it is also a rare model of a traditional elevator built according to the first of the company's standard plans. The twinned elevator features elements typical of Alberta Wheat Pool structures erected during the period and reveals the remarkable consistency of elevator design for over two decades. Both elevators possess high historical integrity with many original design elements, fixtures, and machines. The auxiliary buildings are representative of grain elevator site complex structures of the period.

The United Grain Growers - Alberta Wheat Pool Grain Elevator Site Complex's rich historical connections and striking visual presence has made it a significant landmark in Rowley and a striking reminder of the province's agricultural past. This site is closely associated with neighboring Searle Grain Company Grain Elevator Site Complex; together they form one of the finest extant elevator rows in the province.

Source: Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch (File: Des. 2119)

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the United Grain Growers - Alberta Wheat Pool Grain Elevator Site Complex include such features as:

Twin elevators:
- thick, wooden, windowless shafts crowned by gable roofed cupolas;
- crib construction;
- wood frame windows;
- extended driveway;
- original design elements, fixtures, and machinery in the elevators, including drive shed with lower "boot" tank and grate, truck scales, man-lifts, hopper scales, gerber wheels, grain chutes, upper floor mezzanines, and grain bin levers;
- Alberta Wheat Pool logos on the north, south, and east walls.

Office:
- wood siding;
- original windows and doors.

Engine shed:
- wood frame construction;
- original design elements, fixtures, and machinery.

Landscape:
- driveway providing access to both elevators;
- walkway between driveway and elevator office;
- visual and spatial relationships between site and rail right-of-way and adjacent approach road, between the twin elevators, between the twin elevators and the Searle Grain Company Grain Elevator Site Complex Provincial Historic Resource, and between the twin elevators and the hamlet's nearby main street;
- vestiges of rail bed.