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INGLIS,
Manitoba - June 25, 2004 - The Inglis Grain Elevators National
Historic Site is gaining international attention as an increasing
number of people seek out ways to reconnect to a symbol of a way of
life that is fast disappearing from the landscape.
“The
Inglis Grain Elevators are attracting interest from all over the
world,” says Inglis Grain Elevators National Historic Site
project manager Allan Sawchuk. The number of visitors to the elevators,
particularly
from Japan, Australia, Europe and the southern United States, continues
to grow each year.
Four of the five elevators were built in 1922 - the golden age of
Canada’s grain industry - contributing to the phenomenal expansion
in the Prairies' grain-handing network.
The rise and fall of the standard shoulder-sloped wooden grain elevator
mirrors the success of Canada’s grain industry, from small
beginnings of just 450 prairie elevators at the turn of the 20th
century, rising to nearly 6,000 at their peak in the 1930s, and
then falling to less than 850 today, as they are replaced by super-sized
grain elevator complexes.
The Inglis Grain Elevators are one of the last standing rows of
their kind in the world.
The site is open seven days a week from July to September, but visitors
and tour groups are welcome year round, providing they call ahead
for an appointment.
Inglis Grain Elevators National Historic Site was established
in 1996 to protect and sustain this architectural symbol of the
Western Canadian agriculture and the Prairies. The Regional Municipality
of Shellmouth, the Historic Resources Branch of Manitoba Culture,
Parks Canada and many elevator companies support the community of
Inglis in the restoration of these landmark buildings.
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For more information contact:
Allan Sawchuk
Project Manager
Inglis Grain Elevators National Historic Site
(204) 564-2243
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