Raley, Alberta facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Raley
Unincorporated community
Oldest grain elevator in Alberta.
Raley, Alberta Location in Alberta
Country	Canada
Province	Alberta
Region	Southern Alberta
Census division	2
Municipal district	Cardston County
Founded	1909
Time zone	UTC-7 (MST)
Postal code span	TOK 2EO
Area code(s)	+1-403
Highways	Highway 3
Waterways	Old Man Reservoir

Raley, Alberta, is a small place in Cardston County, Alberta, Canada. It is called an unincorporated community because it does not have its own local government. In 1966, only 5 people lived there.

Raley is located about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) north of Highway 3. It is also about 15 kilometers (9 miles) east of the town of Cardston. The community was named after C. Raley, who was from Lethbridge.

Raley's Historic Grain Elevator

Raley is known for its old grain elevator. This tall building was used to store grain before it was shipped away. The elevator in Raley was built in 1905 by the Alberta Pacific Elevator Co. Ltd. It could hold 35,000 bushels of grain.

The Oldest Elevator in Alberta

This grain elevator is likely the oldest one still standing in Alberta today. It was built soon after the St. Mary Railway line was finished in 1902. This railway line helped transport grain from places like Raley.

In 1940, a permanent storage area was added to the elevator. Later, in 1967, it became part of the Federal Line of elevators. Then, in 1972, the Alberta Wheat Pool took over the elevator. However, it closed shortly after and was taken over by the Hutterite colony at Raley.

Why This Elevator Is Special

The Raley grain elevator is very important for its design. It is a great example of an Alberta Pacific Elevator Co. building. It is also the only one of its kind that has not been changed much over the years.

Other Elevators in Raley's Past

By 1911, Raley had more than one grain elevator. The Alberta Pacific elevator was the first, and it is the only one that remains. This is probably because it is now privately owned.

There were two other elevators in Raley by 1911:

• One could hold 30,000 bushels and was built by A.G. Robertson.
• The other held 15,000 bushels and was run by Sunny Belt Grain Elevator Co. Ltd. This one was made bigger in 1917 to hold 30,000 bushels.

In 1924, the Raley Hutterite colony took over the A.G. Robertson elevator. In 1940, the Alberta Pacific Grain Co. took over the Sunny Belt elevator. Both of these elevators went to the Alberta Wheat Pool in 1972. They were later taken down after 1972.

There was also a fourth elevator in Raley. It was an Alberta Pool Elevator built in 1929 and could hold 40,000 bushels. This elevator disappeared from records by the late 1930s.