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Prairie Sentinels Historical Silhouette

On a power pole west end of Commercial St.

In the early 1900s, Saltcoats had one of its greatest boosts in the building of the Saltcoats Flour Mill, with a warehouse and an attached grain elevator that could hold 60,000 bushels.

The Imperial Elevator Company had a lumberyard and elevator in the early years also.

In 1917 United Grain Growers were formed they built a free-standing elevator in the classic shape that soon dotted the prairie landscape.

The 1917-1920 listing of businesses mention a Bawlf Grain Company, a Northern Elevator Company, and a Peaker Grain Company

In 1928 Saltcoats Wheat Pool built an elevator on High Street.

In later years, The National Elevator was built. It was later bought out by Cargill Corporation.

The descriptive term “Prairie Sentinels” has often been applied to iconic prairie elevators and appears in various stories and poems. Beth Robertson, musician and lyricist from Harris, Sk., wrote a song of that title that was part of the musical “Pull of the Land”. The presentation by a musical group from Harris launched our Community Hall renovation project and solidified our determination to “Keep the stage”, began our hosting of “Legends” and other groups, and provided the impetus for the successful series of Dinner Theatres presented by Laketown Players. The prairie sentinels, now mostly disappeared, marked the dramatic transitions experienced in farming communities, local school districts, our villages, and towns.