They're Preserving Grain Elevator History

They re Preserving Grain Elevator History FARM HOME Miscellaneous Nostalgia and a desire to honor a big part of rural Saskatchewan’s landscape led 81-year-old Einar Franson to build scale models of nine different grain elevators He displays them along the road that passes by his property near High River Alta     Before retiring Franson was a grain buyer who moved often Each of his three children was born in a different location so replicas of elevators from those towns are special to him He also replicated an elevator from the town of Colonsay Sask that his father helped build in 1912          He started building the 1/12th scale replicas about 4 years ago and enjoys the challenge of each project from start to finish Often his biggest hurdle is locating full view photos of the drive sheds     “If I know how many bushels it held I can determine the size but it’s hard getting good photos of the front of the elevator ” he explains “The office is often hiding the part I need to see ”     Photos are usually taken of the roadside view of the elevator and not the driveway where the grain is unloaded That makes it difficult to figure out where doors and windows were located     Franson uses old elevator tin scrap lumber and cedar shingles to build his models     “The details take a long time like painting the letters and the panes onto the Plexiglas windows ” he says Franson spends up to 250 hours on each elevator     He’s not finished yet as he would like to build seven more elevators including one built in Fleming Sask in 1895 that burned down a couple of years ago He’s in the process of gathering photos and making plans     “I just wish I was younger and had more time ” he says     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Einar Franson Box 26 Site 2 RR3 High River Alta T1V1N3 Canada ph 403 652-7740

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